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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: court · nail · net · suit · rash · prune · press · pitcher

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. suit — to fit
  8. court — of a king
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. press — to push
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. court — for sport
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. press — newspapers
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — a publisher
  22. prune — to trim
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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