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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.

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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: rush · drill · swing · current · cold · pass · squash · foot

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. swing — to play on
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. current — electric
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rush — hurry
  24. foot — part of the body

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