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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: net · current · game · toast · bowl · march · can · fan

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. net — for catching
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. can — a tin
  7. current — electric
  8. net — in sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. game — a match
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — happening now
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. march — the month
  18. game — wild animals
  19. current — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. game — a kind of play

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