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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: clip · foot · content · kick · sharp · capital · key · mark

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. capital — a city
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. clip — a video
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. content — happy
  7. clip — to cut
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — money
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mark — a grade
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. sharp — clever
  19. content — the amount
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. clip — for paper
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  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