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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 116 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 · kick · craft · coach · rush · chip · wake · net

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chip — to eat
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. land — a country
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. land — to come down
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. net — in sport
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. craft — boats
  18. rush — hurry
  19. net — for catching
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. land — ground
  23. craft — a skill
  24. net — after costs

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