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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: tear · date · net · rash · drill · sharp · ground · deal

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ground — a position
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. net — for catching
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — a series
  11. drill — army training
  12. ground — the earth
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — in sport
  24. ground — crushed

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