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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: safe · face · press · toast · rule · wave · content · chair

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chair — a leader
  3. content — the amount
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. toast — bread
  6. face — to confront
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rule — a law
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rule — government
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. press — a publisher
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. face — part of the head

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