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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: rash · snap · clip · bass · swing · ground · jam · leaves

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rash — a series
  11. swing — music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bass — low music
  24. clip — to cut

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