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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 · present · rest · lash · land · pitcher · mate · last

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. present — a gift
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mate — to breed
  13. land — a country
  14. last — final
  15. staff — employees
  16. present — the time now
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — what's left
  23. staff — employees
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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