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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: bass · content · date · key · racket · bark · capital · lie

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. key — in music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. key — the most important part
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lie — to recline
  9. content — happy
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. capital — a city
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bass — low music
  17. content — the amount
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bark — to shout
  21. date — the fruit
  22. capital — money
  23. key — for a lock
  24. date — on the calendar

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