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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · race · net · racket · present · bulb · press · mine

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. present — there
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ground — the earth
  7. race — humankind
  8. ground — a position
  9. present — the time now
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — in sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. mine — for digging
  18. net — after costs
  19. race — a contest
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. net — for catching
  22. present — a gift
  23. race — the arms race
  24. press — newspapers

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