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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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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: season · calf · can · clip · rest · race · coach · net

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. clip — a video
  3. rest — what's left
  4. can — to be able to
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. season — of the year
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rest — what's left
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — the arms race
  18. clip — for paper
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — in sport
  21. race — a contest
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. race — humankind

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