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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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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 · lash · capital · stick · fan · season · press · deal

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. press — a publisher
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. capital — a city
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. season — in sport
  19. press — newspapers
  20. capital — money
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. press — to push

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