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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: race · root · arm · chip · wound · ground · pitcher · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. object — a thing
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. root — the cause
  9. ground — the earth
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ground — crushed
  12. object — to protest
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. root — of a word
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chip — to eat

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