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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
468
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 · pass · chest · calf · game · dip · degree · mouse

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. clip — a video
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. clip — for paper
  24. game — a match

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