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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.

Make a worksheet

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: net · rash · press · land · court · toast · mate · racket

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — a series
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. court — of a king
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — a partner
  12. press — newspapers
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. net — after costs
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. court — of law
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — to breed
  24. land — a country

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