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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: club · rock · content · can · track · bay · mine · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. can — a tin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rock — a stone
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — a path
  12. rock — music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mine — for digging
  17. can — a tin
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. track — to keep track
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. track — a song
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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