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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: content · current · kick · cap · date · wake · file · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. land — to come down
  2. cap — of ice
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — a country
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. file — a tool
  13. land — ground
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — in football
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. date — the fruit
  21. content — the amount
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. file — a document
  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