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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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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: roll · arm · snap · chip · court · bark · mug · cap

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — a lid
  3. court — for sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mug — a face
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. roll — a list
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. court — of law
  15. snap — to click
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — a hat
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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