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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · pitch · pit · root · hand · track · coach · racket

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. key — for a lock
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. key — the most important part
  10. track — a path
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — in a race
  14. root — of a word
  15. track — to keep track
  16. root — the cause
  17. track — a song
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. hand — help
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pit — a hole
  24. racket — for tennis

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