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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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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: staff · land · clip · racket · rock · rule · mate · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. staff — a stick
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — ground
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rule — a law
  11. staff — employees
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — for paper
  14. land — a country
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. clip — to cut
  18. land — to come down
  19. clip — a video
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — for tennis
  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