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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: court · bay · lash · prune · key · suit · pitch · chair

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. key — for a lock
  12. suit — in cards
  13. prune — to trim
  14. court — for sport
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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