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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: drill · sharp · land · saw · pound · cue · fan · calf

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cue — for pool
  3. land — to come down
  4. pound — a weight
  5. drill — army training
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. drill — a practice
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. sharp — clever
  16. saw — the tool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. land — ground
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — the tool
  21. land — a country
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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