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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: march · land · rule · cabinet · ruler · temple

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. rule — a law
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. rule — government
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — music
  18. land — a country

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