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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: last · pound · toast · mug · wind · fine · mouse · date

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. toast — bread
  7. mug — a face
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. last — final
  10. mug — a cup
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — to go on
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wind — moving air
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. last — finally
  24. wind — moving air

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