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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: wave · sharp · fan · rash · game · net · shower · ball

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. shower — to wash
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — hasty
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rash — a series
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. net — after costs
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. net — for catching
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. game — a match
  23. ball — a great time
  24. shower — rain

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