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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.

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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: net · press · land · toast · court · lash · jam · mug

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mug — to rob
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mug — a cup
  8. land — to come down
  9. net — for catching
  10. court — for sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. land — ground
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. net — after costs
  18. court — of a king
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. net — in sport
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. land — a country
  24. court — of law

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