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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cue · last · march · calf · pass · stem · sharp · club

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. club — for golf
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cue — a hint
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cue — a signal
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. march — music
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cue — for pool
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. last — final
  21. club — a group
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stem — to come from
  24. club — for dancing

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