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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: plane · cue · degree · tube · last · fall · date · suit

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. tube — a container
  3. suit — in cards
  4. last — finally
  5. fall — to drop
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cue — for pool
  8. last — to go on
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fall — the season
  17. date — the fruit
  18. degree — from a university
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. tube — the underground
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fall — to drop
  23. plane — a tool
  24. suit — to fit

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