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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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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: bat · row · chair · pitcher · patient · root · cell · pitch

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. row — a line
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. row — to paddle
  9. root — the cause
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. chair — a leader
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cell — in biology
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — a phone
  24. root — of a word

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