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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: can · net · content · cap · chip · cell · pound · foot

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. net — for catching
  3. content — the amount
  4. cell — a phone
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cap — a hat
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chip — to eat
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. net — in sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. content — happy
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cell — in biology
  22. net — after costs
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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