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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.

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

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

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — crushed
  6. march — music
  7. land — to come down
  8. march — the month
  9. field — a subject
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — ground
  13. press — a publisher
  14. field — farmland
  15. rule — government
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rest — a break
  18. field — for sport
  19. press — to push
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ground — a position
  22. rule — a law
  23. land — a country
  24. press — newspapers

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