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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: pitcher · can · row · track · pitch · cell · patient · bore

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bore — to tire
  3. row — a line
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cell — a phone
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pitch — completely
  13. can — to be able to
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cell — in biology
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. row — a quarrel

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