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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 120 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: pop · chair · band · mine · shower · safe · board · arm

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. board — to get on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. band — a music group
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pop — to visit
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pop — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pop — soda
  23. board — a committee
  24. shower — rain

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