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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.

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: scale · game · key · arm · spell · hide · lean · cold

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. game — a match
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cold — not warm
  9. key — in music
  10. scale — in music
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — an illness
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spell — a short time
  19. game — wild animals
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. spell — magic
  22. lean — thin
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. hide — animal skin

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