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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · clip · lean · pop · cue · club · bat · ruler

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pop — to visit
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. club — a group
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cue — a signal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. pop — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. clip — for paper
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. clip — a video
  24. bat — the animal

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