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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: craft · date · track · kick · content · cap · pop · club

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. track — to keep track
  3. club — for golf
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. craft — boats
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. content — the amount
  10. craft — a skill
  11. track — a song
  12. cap — of ice
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. track — a path
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kick — in football
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pop — to visit
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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