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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
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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: spell · chip · wind · bulb · sharp · pitch · rule · row

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spell — letters
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rule — government
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spell — magic
  10. row — a line
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rule — a law
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chip — to eat
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bulb — for light

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