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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: season · patient · pitcher · coach · squash · bat · bore · pitch

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. squash — to crush
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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