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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: content · field · pass · cap · face · can · ball · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. content — the amount
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. field — farmland
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — to confront
  12. content — happy
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — of ice
  15. field — a subject
  16. face — part of the head
  17. can — to be able to
  18. field — for sport
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ball — a dance
  24. can — a tin

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