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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 120 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: racket · calf · present · pass · kick · coach · clip · temple

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. clip — a video
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. present — there
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pass — a permit
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. present — a gift
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. kick — in football
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. present — the time now
  24. racket — a loud noise

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