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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 120 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: patient · nail · capital · bat · bass · cap · deal · game

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bass — low music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — wild animals
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bass — the fish
  12. capital — money
  13. game — a match
  14. bat — the animal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. capital — a city
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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