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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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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: firm · wake · face · sharp · mug · ball · ground · hand

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ground — the earth
  6. face — to confront
  7. firm — a company
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mug — a face
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ground — crushed
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ground — a position
  20. firm — steady
  21. ball — a dance
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wake — a trail
  24. firm — decided

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