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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: last · court · cold · bank · dip · mark · rule · tube

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bank — for money
  3. last — to go on
  4. cold — not warm
  5. last — final
  6. court — of law
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a grade
  9. court — for sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — a container
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rule — government
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bank — of a river
  18. court — of a king
  19. rule — a law
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mark — a trace
  22. dip — to sink
  23. last — finally
  24. cold — an illness

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