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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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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: key · rush · suit · march · staff · dip · cell · snap

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. march — the month
  3. key — in music
  4. suit — to fit
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cell — in biology
  8. key — for a lock
  9. march — music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. suit — in cards
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cell — a phone
  22. march — the month
  23. suit — clothes
  24. dip — to sink

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