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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: date · pit · court · band · roll · deal · suit · pitch

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. court — of law
  3. band — a ring
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. date — the fruit
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitch — completely
  10. court — of a king
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. band — a music group
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. court — for sport
  17. pit — in a race
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  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