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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: suit · game · shower · net · fan · plane · sharp · content

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. suit — in cards
  3. game — wild animals
  4. suit — to fit
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. shower — rain
  12. net — for catching
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — in sport
  17. game — a match
  18. content — the amount
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. content — happy
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. plane — a tool
  23. suit — clothes
  24. sharp — clever

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