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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: press · bowl · stick · court · date · rash · net · field

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. date — the fruit
  2. net — for catching
  3. field — farmland
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — a subject
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. field — for sport
  13. rash — hasty
  14. court — of law
  15. press — to push
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. court — for sport
  20. press — newspapers
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — in sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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