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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · content · racket · capital · track · saw · key

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. content — the amount
  3. key — the most important part
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — a path
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mine — for digging
  11. capital — money
  12. track — a song
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. content — happy
  15. track — to keep track
  16. capital — a city
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. saw — the tool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bark — to shout
  23. racket — for tennis
  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