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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: ruler · content · press · rule · bear · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rule — a law
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rule — government
  12. press — to push
  13. content — the amount
  14. face — to confront
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ruler — for measuring

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