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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: net · cap · press · pitcher · bat · rock · dip · row

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. net — for catching
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. row — a line
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. press — newspapers
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rock — music
  15. press — to push
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rock — a stone
  21. net — in sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. net — after costs
  24. cap — of ice

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