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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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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: kid · wind · suit · bay · last · key · court · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — to tease
  8. last — final
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. key — for a lock
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. court — of a king
  13. last — finally
  14. kid — child
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. court — for sport
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. court — of law
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. suit — clothes
  24. last — to go on

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