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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: calf · coach · lie · plane · club · rush · game · hand

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. club — for dancing
  6. game — a match
  7. club — for golf
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — help
  10. lie — to recline
  11. hand — in cards
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. club — a group
  23. rush — hurry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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