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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: press · season · fine · stem · ball · snap · rash · bat

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rash — a series
  6. season — of the year
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fine — all right
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rash — hasty
  16. snap — to click
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — the animal
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. press — to push
  21. ball — a great time
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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