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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: snap · patient · lash · ground · arm · chip · race · fork

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ground — a position
  6. race — humankind
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fork — in a road
  17. race — a contest
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. snap — to click

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