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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: content · file · current · march · straw · trunk · charge · cap

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. file — a line of people
  4. charge — a price
  5. file — a tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. cap — a hat
  8. file — a document
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. charge — electricity
  12. current — electric
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. march — music
  15. current — of water
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cap — of ice
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. content — happy
  21. cap — a lid
  22. charge — in control
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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