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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
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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: roll · degree · plane · coach · file · game · rest · bulb

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. file — a document
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. roll — a cake
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rest — what's left
  24. file — a tool

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