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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.

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: racket · last · capital · stand · rock · arm · bat · sharp

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. capital — a city
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. sharp — clever
  12. last — final
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rock — a stone
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — music
  20. capital — money
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. rock — to move gently

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