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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitch · season · temple · squash · foot · court · key · shower

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. key — for a lock
  5. court — of law
  6. squash — the sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. court — for sport
  9. key — the most important part
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pitch — completely
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. shower — to wash
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. court — of a king
  20. season — of the year
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. season — in sport
  24. temple — side of the head

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