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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 · tear · swing · mate · plane · jam · degree · sharp

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. squash — to crush
  6. tear — from crying
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. swing — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. degree — from a university
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mate — to breed
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. swing — to play on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mate — a friend
  19. swing — in golf
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. sharp — clever

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