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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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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 · court · track · pitcher · swing · hand · mark · temple

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. track — a song
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — in music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. track — to keep track
  9. swing — music
  10. mark — a grade
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — of a king
  16. hand — help
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. court — of law
  19. track — a path
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. swing — to play on
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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