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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: ruler · pitch · sharp · cap · chip · spell · squash · land

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — letters
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. land — a country
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cap — of ice
  12. land — to come down
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — ground
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chip — to eat
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chip — for betting

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