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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: mate · kid · stand · bore · coach · game · club · nail

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — a match
  10. kid — child
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bore — to drill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. club — for golf
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kid — to tease
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stand — to bear

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