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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: snap · fan · march · toast · lie · clip · ground · bass

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. clip — for paper
  7. toast — bread
  8. clip — a video
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lie — to recline
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. snap — to click
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bass — low music
  24. fan — to cool the air

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