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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: bay · wound · toast · court · bear · rash · pitch · chair

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wound — an injury
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rash — hasty
  7. toast — bread
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bear — the animal
  18. court — of law
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wound — an injury

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