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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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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 · nail · cold · squash · rule · pass · cabinet · kid

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rule — a law
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. kid — child
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rush — to hurry

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