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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: arm · chip · court · stock · cap · row · mug · squash

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cap — of ice
  4. court — of a king
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. row — a line
  10. cap — a hat
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mug — to rob
  13. court — for sport
  14. squash — the sport
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. row — to paddle
  17. court — of law
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stock — shares
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stock — goods
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mug — a face

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