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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: suit · pass · ball · capital · last · tube · bat · patient

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. last — finally
  7. ball — a dance
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. last — to go on
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. tube — the underground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. last — final
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. capital — money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. capital — a city

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