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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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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: cue · deal · calf · snap · sharp · game · hand · track

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. track — a song
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. game — a match
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. track — a path
  15. cue — for pool
  16. track — to keep track
  17. snap — to click
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — wild animals
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. sharp — clever
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. calf — a young animal

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