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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. file — a document
  4. craft — a skill
  5. stock — goods
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — shares
  9. net — after costs
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. file — a tool
  13. net — for catching
  14. content — happy
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. craft — boats
  18. net — in sport
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. file — a line of people

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