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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 · race · deal · bulb · pass · rush · swing · rule

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. race — humankind
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rush — hurry
  6. swing — in golf
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pass — a permit
  9. swing — music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — a contest
  17. deal — to handle
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. swing — to play on
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rule — a law

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