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

Word bank: mate · stand · clip · lie · snap · march · jam · vault

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. clip — a video
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mate — a friend
  9. clip — to cut
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mate — a partner
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — to breed
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. lie — an untruth

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