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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: plane · cue · capital · patient · stock · bat · cabinet · mate

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stock — goods
  15. capital — money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cue — a signal

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