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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: land · hide · safe · ruler · ground · fork · rest · press

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. land — a country
  5. ground — a position
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — what's left
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. fork — in a road
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. press — to push
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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