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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: bat · press · nail · coach · pound · roll · season · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. press — to push
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bat — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. press — a publisher
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. roll — a list
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pound — a weight
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. season — of the year

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