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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · firm · staff · club · mate · kick

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — for golf
  3. mate — to breed
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. club — a group
  7. firm — steady
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. clip — a video
  10. staff — employees
  11. firm — a company
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mate — a partner
  14. firm — decided
  15. club — for dancing
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com