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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: bank · mark · press · fall · pitcher · pit · court · net

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. net — in sport
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. fall — to drop
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — the season
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fall — to drop
  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