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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: pitch · lie · degree · ruler · cell · spell · rush · chest

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chest — a box
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cell — a phone
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rush — to hurry

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