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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
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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: spell · rush · cold · kid · cap · bowl · squash · pass

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kid — child
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cap — of ice
  16. squash — to crush
  17. spell — letters
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. spell — magic
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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