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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: ground · cabinet · field · rule · press · march

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. march — the month
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — a position
  5. march — music
  6. press — to push
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. field — farmland
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — crushed
  16. field — a subject
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — government

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