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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kid — child
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. swing — to play on
  12. content — the amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. court — of law
  15. track — a path
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. swing — in golf
  18. court — for sport
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. court — of a king
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. bark — to shout

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