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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: pitcher · spell · calf · snap · cue · fan · sharp · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. snap — to click
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spell — magic
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cue — a signal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cue — for pool

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