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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: shower · firm · capital · chest · rush · bear · pass · track

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. shower — rain
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — money
  5. pass — a permit
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. track — a song
  11. chest — a box
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. firm — decided
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. firm — steady
  18. track — to keep track
  19. firm — a company
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bear — the animal

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