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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stock — goods
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — for digging
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — to protest
  15. tear — to rip
  16. net — for catching
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — in sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chip — for betting
  24. net — after costs

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