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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: capital · wave · face · cue · coach · clip · hand · club

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. club — for dancing
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. club — for golf
  7. cue — a hint
  8. hand — help
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. capital — a city
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. capital — money
  16. cue — for pool
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. club — a group
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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