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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.

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: land · coach · kick · present · clip · craft · track · cabinet

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kick — in football
  4. land — ground
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — the time now
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — for paper
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. craft — boats
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. land — to come down
  15. clip — a video
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. land — a country
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. clip — to cut
  22. present — a gift
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — there

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