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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 116 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: bark · capital · pop · fine · content · calf · racket · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. content — the amount
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. club — a group
  5. capital — money
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. pop — soda
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — music
  13. capital — a city
  14. fine — high quality
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. club — for golf
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — all right
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pop — to visit

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