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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: track · hand · last · court · spell · pit · ground · stand

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. spell — letters
  3. court — of law
  4. track — to keep track
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — a path
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. last — to go on
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. track — a song
  15. stand — to bear
  16. spell — magic
  17. pit — a hole
  18. court — for sport
  19. hand — help
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pit — in a race
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ground — a position

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