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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: rest · staff · toast · lash · chip · club · bark · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. club — for dancing
  7. toast — bread
  8. club — for golf
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rest — what's left
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rest — a break
  17. club — a group
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. net — in sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. staff — employees

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