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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: wake · pitch · bank · mark · press · net · stick · cold

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — in sport
  10. press — newspapers
  11. net — for catching
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. press — to push
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. net — after costs

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