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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: racket · press · swing · land · face · net · pit · chest

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. press — newspapers
  4. net — in sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to confront
  7. land — a country
  8. net — for catching
  9. chest — of your body
  10. face — to point toward
  11. press — a publisher
  12. swing — music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. chest — a box
  15. press — to push
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pit — a hole
  18. net — after costs
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chest — of your body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pit — in a race
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — to play on

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