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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: scale · toast · arm · hand · game · rock · vault · cell

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cell — a phone
  4. vault — a safe
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. hand — in cards
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. scale — size or range
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. toast — bread
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rock — music
  15. game — a match
  16. rock — a stone
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cell — in biology
  19. hand — help
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. scale — in music
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. scale — for weighing

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