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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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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: degree · face · bay · band · coach · content · cue · press

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — to confront
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. content — the amount
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. press — newspapers
  17. degree — an amount
  18. face — part of the head
  19. press — to push
  20. band — a ring
  21. face — to point toward
  22. band — a music group
  23. cue — a hint
  24. content — happy

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