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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: deal · degree · net · plane · cue · tube · pitcher · stand

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. cue — a signal
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cue — for pool
  7. tube — a container
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. plane — a tool
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — in sport
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. degree — temperature
  22. net — for catching
  23. deal — an agreement
  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