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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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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: roll · chest · tube · toast · arm · stand · cell · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. roll — a list
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. game — a match
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. toast — bread
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — a container
  24. toast — the most admired

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