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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: pitch · saw · key · rock · cue · court · chair · bay

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cue — a hint
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of a king
  7. rock — music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — completely
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. key — in music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. court — of law
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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