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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: wound · last · toast · date · foot · face · mug · fine

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mug — a face
  4. last — final
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. last — to go on
  10. foot — a measure
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. face — to confront
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. last — finally
  18. fine — all right
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wound — an injury
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mug — a cup
  24. face — to point toward

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