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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 120 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: bank · file · can · cap · mate · content · current · chair

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. can — a tin
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mate — a friend
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. bank — for money
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chair — a leader
  11. file — a line of people
  12. current — happening now
  13. file — a tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. current — electric
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bank — of a river
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — of water
  24. cap — a hat

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