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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · net · temple · last · board · rush · bear · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — to go on
  8. board — to get on
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. net — after costs
  11. last — final
  12. rush — hurry
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. board — a committee
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — finally
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — in sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. net — for catching
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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