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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 120 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: kick · snap · season · march · rest · chip · saw · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. march — music
  3. chip — to eat
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bass — the fish
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. snap — to click
  17. saw — the tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chip — for betting

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