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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 · firm · charge · rock · field · patient · pitcher · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. rock — music
  5. firm — a company
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. field — a subject
  8. firm — steady
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. can — to be able to
  12. charge — a price
  13. firm — decided
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. charge — in control
  24. bat — the animal

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