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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 124 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
468
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: land · sharp · march · calf · mine · swing · cue · pitcher

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. swing — in golf
  3. land — to come down
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cue — a hint
  11. land — a country
  12. mine — for digging
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cue — for pool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — a signal
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. land — ground

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