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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: mark · staff · clip · lash · club · present · rock · fine

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rock — music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. club — a group
  7. staff — employees
  8. fine — all right
  9. club — for golf
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. present — a gift
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. present — there
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. present — the time now
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. clip — a video
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. club — for dancing
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — a stone

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