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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 116 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: bat · safe · key · stem · content · press

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. press — to push
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. key — in music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stem — to come from
  14. press — newspapers
  15. key — for a lock
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy

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