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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.

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 · bat · net · spring · lie · ground · racket · land

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — the season
  9. ground — a position
  10. net — for catching
  11. land — a country
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ground — crushed
  14. land — to come down
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. press — to push
  17. ground — the earth
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — of water
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — a coil
  22. land — ground
  23. bat — the animal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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