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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: track · rock · sharp · capital · file · court · bulb · saw

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. capital — money
  3. court — for sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — a city
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. court — of law
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — to keep track
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rock — music
  21. track — a song
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. track — a path
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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