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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. content — the amount
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pound — a weight
  5. last — finally
  6. march — music
  7. last — to go on
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mug — to rob
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mug — a face
  14. toast — bread
  15. last — final
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. prune — to trim
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mug — a cup

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