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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: coach · patient · pitch · chest · bark · rock · stick · bowl

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chest — a box
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rock — music
  12. bark — to shout
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. patient — a sick person

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