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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.

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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: sharp · last · deal · straw · board · degree · rule · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. board — a committee
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. board — to get on
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. sharp — clever
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — a law
  17. deal — to handle
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. last — to go on
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rule — government
  24. degree — from a university

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