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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 120 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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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: branch · kid · deal · present · bat · key · pitch · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bat — the animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. present — a gift
  13. branch — a division
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. deal — to handle
  19. present — there
  20. chip — for betting
  21. present — the time now
  22. pitch — completely
  23. key — in music
  24. pitch — a sports field

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