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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: perch · press · sharp · last · file · arm · mine · racket

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. last — finally
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. perch — the fish
  5. file — a tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. press — a publisher
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — to go on
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. file — a line of people
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. press — to push
  20. mine — for digging
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. file — a document
  24. sharp — clever

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