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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: plane · degree · staff · squash · pitcher · leaves · net · date

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — a tool
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. net — in sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. net — for catching
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. degree — an amount
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. staff — a stick
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. staff — employees
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. degree — from a university
  21. date — the fruit
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — to crush
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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