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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: cap · mark · firm · drill · net · press · clip · fine

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mark — a grade
  6. drill — army training
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fine — high quality
  9. clip — a video
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. clip — to cut
  12. drill — a practice
  13. firm — decided
  14. fine — all right
  15. cap — a lid
  16. firm — steady
  17. clip — for paper
  18. firm — a company
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. net — for catching

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