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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 · mine · chip · hand · firm · saw · arm · pitcher

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. firm — decided
  3. hand — help
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — a contest
  6. firm — a company
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chip — for betting
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. firm — steady
  20. hand — in cards
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — humankind
  24. hand — part of the body

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