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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — government
  3. staff — a stick
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — a box
  6. bound — certain
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bound — tied together
  10. band — a ring
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. march — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rule — a law
  20. band — a music group
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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