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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: arm · race · press · mate · straw · snap · ground · capital

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. race — a contest
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ground — crushed
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mate — a friend
  11. press — a publisher
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. ground — the earth
  14. capital — a city
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ground — a position
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. race — humankind
  19. snap — to click
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mate — a partner
  22. race — the arms race
  23. press — to push
  24. capital — money

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