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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: firm · net · dip · nail · press · bat · arm · pitcher

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — after costs
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. net — for catching
  9. firm — steady
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. firm — a company
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bat — the animal
  16. firm — decided
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. net — in sport
  19. press — to push
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. dip — a sauce

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