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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: bass · cap · hand · pitch · toast · bound · face · field

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. field — for sport
  4. bass — the fish
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cap — of ice
  11. face — to confront
  12. bound — certain
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. face — part of the head
  18. field — farmland
  19. pitch — completely
  20. hand — help
  21. bound — obliged
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — a subject
  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