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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 116 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: drill · press · fan · face · content · calf · object · cold

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. object — an aim
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. content — the amount
  6. cold — not warm
  7. content — happy
  8. face — part of the head
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. object — a thing
  12. face — to confront
  13. object — to protest
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. drill — army training
  22. cold — an illness
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. drill — the tool

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