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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: tube · mark · rule · patient · mine · race · court · bass

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. court — of a king
  4. bass — low music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. court — of law
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a grade
  9. court — for sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. race — humankind
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — a contest
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rule — a law
  21. mark — a trace
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. patient — a sick person

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