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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: date · fan · press · bat · fork · wound · jam · club

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fork — in a road
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. club — for golf
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. club — for dancing
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. club — a group
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. press — to push
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. date — the fruit

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