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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 116 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: march · degree · cap · sharp · prune · last · racket · board

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cap — a lid
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. march — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cap — a hat
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — finally
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. last — final
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cap — of ice
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. board — to get on

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