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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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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: clip · coach · lie · ruler · club · present · land · kick

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. clip — a video
  3. kick — in football
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. land — to come down
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. present — the time now
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. present — there
  13. clip — for paper
  14. land — a country
  15. club — for golf
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. club — a group
  20. land — ground
  21. present — a gift
  22. clip — to cut
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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