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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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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: swing · bat · mark · bay · net · press · bank · fork

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bank — for money
  7. press — to push
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fork — in a road
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fork — a garden tool

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