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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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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: chip · hand · charge · degree · branch · pitcher · pitch · ruler

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hand — help
  4. chip — to eat
  5. branch — a division
  6. degree — temperature
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hand — in cards
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitch — completely
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. charge — in control
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. charge — electricity

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