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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: pitcher · suit · bound · net · mine · press · hand · drill

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. drill — army training
  3. hand — help
  4. drill — the tool
  5. press — a publisher
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — certain
  10. press — newspapers
  11. net — after costs
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bound — obliged
  15. suit — clothes
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. suit — to fit
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  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