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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: pitcher · board · season · bay · key · lie · chair · kid

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. season — of the year
  6. board — a committee
  7. key — in music
  8. board — to get on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — to recline
  12. key — the most important part
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kid — child
  23. chair — a leader
  24. season — in sport

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