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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: racket · lean · land · rush · bat · court · mate · press

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. press — newspapers
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. land — a country
  14. mate — a friend
  15. court — of law
  16. mate — a partner
  17. court — of a king
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — for sport
  21. rush — hurry
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bat — the animal
  24. press — to push

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