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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: bay · bark · tube · content · chest · dip · track · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. content — happy
  12. track — a song
  13. content — the amount
  14. chest — a box
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. track — a path

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