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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: hide · kick · pop · cabinet · bowl · face · pit · bear

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — soda
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pop — to visit
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. kick — in football
  20. pop — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kick — with a leg

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