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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: pop · pit · patient · row · chest · pitch · wake · spell

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. row — a line
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. wake — a trail
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. chest — a box
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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