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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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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: last · drill · coach · capital · lean · hand · arm · saw

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — the tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — help
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. capital — money
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. drill — army training
  18. last — final
  19. drill — a practice
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. capital — a city
  23. last — finally
  24. lean — to bend

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