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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: pitch · patient · suit · spell · content · bulb · bat · pitcher

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spell — letters
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. content — happy
  11. spell — magic
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pitch — completely
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bat — the animal
  23. suit — in cards
  24. spell — a short time

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