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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: land · coach · club · chair · race · dip · calf · kick

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. land — a country
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. dip — to sink
  5. land — to come down
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chair — a leader
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. club — a group
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — ground
  21. kick — in football
  22. race — the arms race
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. calf — a young animal

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