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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: toast · file · can · cell · plane · content · march · chair

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. chair — a leader
  6. march — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. file — a document
  10. can — to be able to
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. file — a line of people
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. can — a tin
  17. content — happy
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. march — the month
  22. toast — bread
  23. cell — a phone
  24. march — the month

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