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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · racket · squash · degree · object · field · march · cue

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. object — a thing
  3. degree — an amount
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. field — farmland
  8. squash — to crush
  9. field — for sport
  10. degree — from a university
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. squash — the sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — to protest
  21. cue — a hint
  22. object — an aim
  23. march — the month
  24. plane — a tool

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