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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.

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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 · pitch · cue · saw · swing · chip · cap

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pitch — completely
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cue — a hint
  11. swing — music
  12. cue — a signal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. swing — to play on
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chip — for betting
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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