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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: straw · toast · mug · nail · fan · spell · bat · press

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — a short time
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mug — a cup
  11. press — to push
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. mug — a face
  15. spell — magic
  16. toast — bread
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mug — to rob
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spell — letters
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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