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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. content — happy
  3. face — to confront
  4. content — the amount
  5. charge — in control
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. press — newspapers
  8. face — part of the head
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ground — the earth
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. press — to push
  20. degree — temperature
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. toast — bread
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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