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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: pitch · court · track · suit · roll · hand · cue · mark

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — help
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — to fit
  8. roll — a list
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. court — of a king
  22. roll — a cake
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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