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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · fall · hide · mate · racket · track · rush · sharp

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — a path
  15. fall — the season
  16. track — a song
  17. mate — a friend
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mate — to breed
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rush — hurry
  22. track — to keep track
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. sharp — with an edge

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