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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · spring · pitcher · pitch · chest · patient · bay · staff

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. staff — employees
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. chest — a box
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — a coil
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spring — of water
  20. staff — employees
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitcher — a jug

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