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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 124 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: lash · deal · clip · ground · track · staff · pound · cue

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ground — a position
  5. track — to keep track
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cue — for pool
  8. clip — a video
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. clip — for paper
  13. staff — a stick
  14. track — a path
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pound — a weight
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cue — a hint
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pound — to hit hard

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