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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: kid · object · toast · field · chip · branch · scale · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. object — to protest
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. chip — to eat
  8. kid — child
  9. field — for sport
  10. kid — to tease
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. chip — for betting
  15. key — for a lock
  16. field — a subject
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. scale — size or range
  19. object — a thing
  20. field — farmland
  21. key — in music
  22. object — an aim
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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