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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: mark · last · press · nail · bat · roll · mate · season

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mate — a friend
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. season — of the year
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mark — a grade
  22. press — to push
  23. last — finally
  24. nail — on a finger

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