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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: drill · fine · lean · racket · capital · stand · arm · last

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fine — all right
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lean — thin
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. last — final
  9. drill — army training
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. capital — a city
  16. stand — to bear
  17. last — finally
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — to go on
  24. racket — for tennis

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