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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · stick · net · shower · last · perch · board · content

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. last — final
  8. board — a committee
  9. shower — rain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. perch — the fish
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — happy
  15. last — finally
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. net — for catching
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. board — to get on
  22. shower — to wash
  23. content — the amount
  24. fan — to cool the air

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