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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: squash · cap · pitcher · field · court · nail · face · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. field — for sport
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to point toward
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. field — a subject
  13. face — to confront
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. squash — to crush
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. court — for sport
  24. cap — of ice

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