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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · clip · arm · board · stand · capital · club · ball

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. tube — a container
  5. stand — to bear
  6. ball — a great time
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ball — a dance
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. capital — a city
  14. club — for golf
  15. capital — money
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. clip — for paper
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. club — a group
  20. clip — a video
  21. board — a committee
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. board — to get on
  24. tube — the underground

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