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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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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: kid · pass · shower · pit · firm · capital · press · wave

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. kid — child
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. firm — decided
  6. shower — rain
  7. press — a publisher
  8. capital — money
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pit — in a race
  12. firm — steady
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pit — a hole
  15. capital — a city
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kid — to tease
  23. firm — a company
  24. capital — a big letter

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