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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 · march · lash · bass · firm · arm · board · pound

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. march — the month
  3. firm — a company
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. march — the month
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pound — a weight
  9. firm — steady
  10. bass — low music
  11. board — a committee
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. board — to get on
  20. march — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. firm — decided
  24. race — the arms race

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