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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: clip · fan · coach · game · plane · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cap — a lid
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. game — a match
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — to cut
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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