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

Word bank: face · press · race · cold · key · wave

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cold — not warm
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. race — a contest
  9. cold — an illness
  10. press — a publisher
  11. face — to confront
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. press — to push
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. key — for a lock

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