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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: cold · mate · key · deal · racket · pass · hide · fall

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mate — to breed
  16. deal — to handle
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cold — an illness
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mate — a friend
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fall — the season
  24. key — in music

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