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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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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: saw · firm · track · jam · mate · hide · game · court

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. court — of law
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mate — to breed
  11. firm — a company
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a match
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. court — of a king
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — wild animals
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — a path
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. firm — steady
  24. court — for sport

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