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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 116 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: bark · content · net · pop · game · kick

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pop — to visit
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pop — music
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. net — in sport
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — after costs
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. game — a match
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pop — soda
  13. net — for catching
  14. kick — in football
  15. game — wild animals
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — happy

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