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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: court · land · ruler · chip · hide · face · leaves · ground

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. land — ground
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. court — of a king
  10. land — a country
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — a position
  14. face — part of the head
  15. land — to come down
  16. court — for sport
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. face — to confront
  24. ruler — a monarch

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