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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: firm · saw · hand · bound · scale · last · racket · ball

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. last — final
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hand — help
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. firm — steady
  9. last — to go on
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. firm — a company
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bound — obliged
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bound — certain
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ball — a dance
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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