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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pass — a permit
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. court — of a king
  7. mark — a trace
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — for golf
  10. net — for catching
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. court — of law
  14. key — in music
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. squash — to crush
  18. club — for dancing
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. court — for sport
  22. club — a group
  23. net — after costs
  24. squash — the sport

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