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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.

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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: pound · swing · bank · court · hand · pit · sharp · key

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. court — of a king
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. swing — music
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. key — in music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. hand — help
  17. court — of law
  18. bank — for money
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. swing — to play on
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hand — in cards
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pit — a hole

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