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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.

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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 is in your ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. drill — the tool
  5. key — in music
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. drill — army training
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. drill — a practice
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — to protest
  24. calf — a young animal

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