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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — to wash
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — in sport
  6. press — newspapers
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — part of the head
  14. season — of the year
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. press — to push
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — the amount
  24. face — to confront

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