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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: bound · track · temple · content · arm · pitch · ball · key

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. key — the most important part
  5. track — a song
  6. bound — tied together
  7. content — happy
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. key — in music
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. track — a path
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bound — certain
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bound — obliged
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. track — to keep track
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — completely

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