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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: net · hand · fall · press · mark · jam · kick · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fall — the season
  4. press — to push
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — in football
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fall — to drop
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. hand — help
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mark — a grade
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mark — a trace
  20. net — for catching
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hand — in cards
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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