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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
468
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: bay · patient · coach · pitch · tear · pitcher · hand · net

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — help
  8. net — in sport
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitch — completely
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — in cards
  14. net — after costs
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. tear — from crying

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