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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.

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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: straw · season · deal · fan · bat · cue · pop · coach

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. season — of the year
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. season — in sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pop — music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. deal — a big deal

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