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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · court · fan · coach · staff · lie · wound · vault

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. court — of a king
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. vault — a safe
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — of law
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — ground
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. land — a country
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wound — an injury
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. court — for sport
  22. land — to come down
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fan — a supporter

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