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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: clip · tear · racket · pop · capital · cue · craft · board

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. clip — to cut
  5. capital — a city
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. capital — money
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pop — soda
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. cue — for pool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pop — music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. board — a committee
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cue — a hint
  21. tear — from crying
  22. board — to get on
  23. tear — to rip
  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