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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: saw · face · bound · racket · sharp · firm · mine · last

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bound — obliged
  4. last — finally
  5. firm — a company
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — final
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bound — certain
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. firm — decided
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. firm — steady
  20. last — to go on
  21. face — to confront
  22. mine — for digging
  23. face — part of the head
  24. saw — the 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