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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
468
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: stick · rush · staff · chest · fan · snap · squash · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — to crush
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chest — a box
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. march — the month
  18. chest — of your body
  19. march — music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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