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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: pit · ground · race · safe · tear · bat

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ground — a position
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bat — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pit — in a race
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ground — the earth
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ground — crushed
  18. race — a contest

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