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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: squash · key · scale · bay · foot · pitch · last · fork

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. last — final
  4. key — the most important part
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. scale — in music
  9. key — in music
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. last — finally
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fork — in a road
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. foot — part of the body

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