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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 120 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: march · cue · degree · face · stock · bank · mate · calf

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. face — part of the head
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. face — to confront
  11. stock — shares
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bank — for money
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. march — music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stock — goods
  23. bank — for money
  24. face — to point toward

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