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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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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 · racket · content · hide · clip · present · rest · coach

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — to come down
  8. clip — a video
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. present — the time now
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. present — there
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — happy
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. present — a gift
  20. rest — a break
  21. clip — for paper
  22. land — a country
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. content — the amount

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