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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: last · kid · snap · pound · pitch · deal · bay · key

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. key — for a lock
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pound — a weight
  11. snap — to click
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. kid — child
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. key — the most important part
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitch — completely
  20. last — to go on
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. key — in music

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