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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 116 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. track — to keep track
  7. snap — to click
  8. key — the most important part
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pop — soda
  11. rush — hurry
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. track — a path
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pop — to visit
  19. swing — music
  20. key — in music
  21. pop — music
  22. track — a song
  23. court — of a king
  24. swing — in golf

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