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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: net · board · scale · shower · pitcher · content · roll · perch

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. board — to get on
  5. perch — the fish
  6. shower — rain
  7. net — in sport
  8. shower — to wash
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. content — the amount
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. board — a committee
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — happy
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. roll — on a roll

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