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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · arm · bass · squash · march · firm · field · rush

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bass — low music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. firm — decided
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. field — a subject
  10. march — music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ground — a position
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. squash — to crush
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. firm — a company
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. firm — steady

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