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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: pound · field · cap · mark · bass · squash · face · cabinet

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bass — low music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mark — a grade
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mark — a trace
  12. field — farmland
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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