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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: mark · deal · net · press · bat · bulb · board · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. press — newspapers
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hand — help
  11. board — to get on
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. hand — in cards
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bulb — for light
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. press — to push
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. board — a committee
  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