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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: pop · racket · band · lie · bay · trunk · content · court

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. band — a ring
  7. content — happy
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — to recline
  10. band — a music group
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. court — for sport
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pop — to visit
  16. content — the amount
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bay — a horse colour

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