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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: hand · temple · net · pitch · coach · trunk · fan · press

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. press — to push
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — for catching
  12. press — newspapers
  13. hand — help
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. net — after costs
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitch — completely
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. hand — in cards

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