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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: squash · degree · dip · fan · jam · plane · coach · cap

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cap — of ice
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. squash — to crush
  14. plane — a tool
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. squash — the sport
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. degree — an amount

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