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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — a video
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. foot — a measure
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — to come down
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. land — a country
  18. pop — soda
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — to cut
  21. land — ground
  22. pop — music
  23. scale — in music
  24. stand — to bear

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