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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: rule · saw · press · safe · ground · can · march · game

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. press — to push
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rule — government
  5. game — wild animals
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ground — a position
  9. press — a publisher
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — a law
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ground — the earth

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