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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: current · content · chair · bay · plane · nail · cell · cap

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. content — the amount
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. current — electric
  10. cap — of ice
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — in biology
  18. current — of water
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cap — a lid
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. current — happening now
  23. plane — a tool
  24. content — happy

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