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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: saw · march · trunk · fine · can · capital · sharp · last

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. march — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. capital — a city
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. capital — money
  8. sharp — clever
  9. saw — the tool
  10. can — to be able to
  11. march — the month
  12. last — to go on
  13. fine — high quality
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. last — finally
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — the month
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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