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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: patient · pitcher · mate · dip · saw · bat · deal · field

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — for sport
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mate — a partner
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. field — farmland
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. deal — to handle
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — a subject
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. dip — to sink

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