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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: land · saw · arm · last · cap · sharp · racket · press

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cap — a lid
  3. last — final
  4. land — a country
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cap — a hat
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. land — to come down
  12. press — newspapers
  13. sharp — clever
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. land — ground
  20. last — finally
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. cap — of ice

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