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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.

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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: deal · net · staff · last · march · squash · rush · foot

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — a stick
  6. net — after costs
  7. last — final
  8. squash — to crush
  9. foot — a measure
  10. last — to go on
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — music
  14. last — finally
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. squash — the sport
  18. net — in sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. net — for catching

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