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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · game · content · press · leaves · chair · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. content — the amount
  3. face — to confront
  4. game — a match
  5. face — to point toward
  6. shower — to wash
  7. content — happy
  8. chair — a leader
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. press — newspapers
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. press — to push
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. face — part of the head
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — a publisher
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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