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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 · net · sharp · degree · cue · saw · field · date

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. net — in sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cue — a signal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. field — farmland
  8. degree — an amount
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cue — for pool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — a tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — after costs
  17. date — the fruit
  18. sharp — clever
  19. field — a subject
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cue — a hint
  22. net — for catching
  23. degree — from a university
  24. plane — an aircraft

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