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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: face · cabinet · mine · cap · court · bore · bark · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. face — to confront
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bore — to drill
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. court — of law
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. court — for sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — of a king

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