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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
468
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 · hide · bass · mate · kick · pop · face · cap

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. face — to confront
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — to point toward
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — the fish
  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