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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: net · key · mate · pound · last · toast · fan · clip

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mate — to breed
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. clip — a video
  13. mate — a partner
  14. clip — to cut
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. net — after costs
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mate — a friend
  20. last — to go on
  21. toast — bread
  22. key — in music
  23. last — finally
  24. key — for a lock

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