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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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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 · pitcher · shower · capital · wake · foot · lie · last

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. capital — a city
  3. last — final
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. last — finally
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — a measure
  13. shower — rain
  14. wake — a trail
  15. capital — money
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. last — to go on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rush — hurry
  24. foot — part of the body

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