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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 · pit · track · court · stock · wax · rock · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stock — goods
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rock — music
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. track — a song
  12. court — of law
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — to grow
  19. key — in music
  20. stock — shares
  21. pit — a hole
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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