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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 120 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: content · cold · press · cabinet · face · ground · club · calf

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cold — not warm
  3. press — to push
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. club — a group
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — for dancing
  14. face — part of the head
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cold — an illness
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. press — a publisher

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