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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. race — a contest
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. bass — low music
  8. track — a song
  9. content — happy
  10. track — to keep track
  11. sharp — clever
  12. content — the amount
  13. race — humankind
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. track — a path
  19. race — the arms race
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. object — to protest
  24. stand — to bear

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