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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 120 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: dip · press · suit · mark · cell · pitcher · saw · nail

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. press — to push
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. press — a publisher
  6. saw — the tool
  7. suit — clothes
  8. mark — a trace
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cell — in biology
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. suit — in cards
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. press — newspapers
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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