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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: cabinet · cap · arm · hide · bowl · court · stick · pop

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pop — music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pop — soda
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. court — for sport

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