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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 · rule · root · tear · pitcher · press · firm · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — a law
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rule — government
  9. press — newspapers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. firm — decided
  16. press — to push
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. root — the cause
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bat — the animal
  24. press — a publisher

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