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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: rush · last · capital · bat · stand · shower · pitcher · mug

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bat — the animal
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — to go on
  10. mug — a cup
  11. last — finally
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. shower — rain
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mug — a face
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. last — final
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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