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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: pass · kick · wound · chest · nail · capital · rush · foot

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — in football
  10. chest — a box
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chest — of your body
  23. capital — a city
  24. rush — to hurry

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