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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: mark · capital · sharp · file · court · bear · key · wax

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mark — a trace
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. bear — the animal
  9. key — the most important part
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. court — of law
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. court — of a king
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. key — for a lock
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. court — for sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. key — in music

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