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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
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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: squash · staff · content · bark · court · tube · date · club

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. club — for golf
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. content — happy
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. staff — employees
  7. club — a group
  8. bark — to shout
  9. squash — to crush
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. court — for sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. squash — the sport
  18. date — the fruit
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tube — a container
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bark — of a tree

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