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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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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: race · arm · calf · chair · straw · band · ground · root

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. race — the arms race
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — the cause
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chair — a leader
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ground — the earth
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. race — humankind
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. race — a contest
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. band — a music group
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. band — a ring

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