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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · race · track · key · court · firm · stand · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. hand — help
  5. track — a song
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — in cards
  8. track — to keep track
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. key — in music
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mate — to breed
  14. race — a contest
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. key — the most important part
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. firm — steady
  21. race — humankind
  22. track — a path
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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