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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: last · cue · march · nail · degree · ball · date · face

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — a signal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cue — a hint
  6. march — the month
  7. last — finally
  8. ball — a great time
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. face — part of the head
  11. degree — from a university
  12. date — the fruit
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. face — to confront
  18. cue — for pool
  19. march — music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. last — to go on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. last — final

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