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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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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: suit · arm · rock · track · racket · cold · bark · content

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. content — happy
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. content — the amount
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rock — a stone
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rock — music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. suit — clothes
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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