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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: chair · can · shower · foot · fall · band · race · safe

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. race — a contest
  5. band — a ring
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. band — a music group
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fall — the season
  10. race — the arms race
  11. can — a tin
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. shower — to wash
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. shower — rain
  17. fall — to drop
  18. can — a tin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. race — humankind
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. foot — part of the body

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