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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: roll · last · ground · bound · mate · face · toast · swing

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bound — tied together
  8. ground — a position
  9. swing — music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ground — the earth
  12. face — to confront
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. swing — in golf
  15. toast — bread
  16. face — to point toward
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — crushed
  21. swing — to play on
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. mate — a friend

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