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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: vault · land · coach · kid · club · game · chair · bore

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. chair — a leader
  3. land — a country
  4. bore — to tire
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. land — to come down
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bore — to drill
  12. club — for golf
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. kid — child
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. club — for dancing
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. land — ground
  22. kid — to tease
  23. game — a match
  24. chair — a professorship

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