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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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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: pit · stick · wind · court · pitch · straw · squash · mouse

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. court — of law
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. court — for 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