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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.

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
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: file · mouse · coach · plane · degree · clip · game · kick

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a match
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — a video
  9. file — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. clip — to cut
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. kick — in football
  17. degree — temperature
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a document
  21. plane — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. clip — for paper
  24. game — wild animals

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