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

Word bank: face · race · pass · key · game · mouse · pitch · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. key — in music
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. court — of a king
  6. key — for a lock
  7. race — a contest
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pass — a permit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. race — humankind
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. face — to confront
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pitch — completely
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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