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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.

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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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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: object · deal · nail · bat · staff · fan · press · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. deal — to handle
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bat — the animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. staff — a stick
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. row — a line
  13. staff — employees
  14. press — a publisher
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. object — to protest
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. staff — employees
  19. press — newspapers
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. press — to push
  24. bat — for baseball

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