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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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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: cap · stick · content · club · dip · stock · date · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. club — for golf
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kick — in football
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stock — goods
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stock — shares
  21. cap — a lid
  22. club — a group
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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