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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: stand · can · racket · capital · clip · game · ruler · band

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. capital — a city
  5. game — wild animals
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — money
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. game — a match
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stand — to bear
  18. can — to be able to
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. band — a rubber band

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