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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: tube · current · pitcher · file · coach · clip · bat · rest

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. file — a document
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. clip — for paper
  14. current — of water
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rest — a break
  17. file — a tool
  18. clip — a video
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. clip — to cut
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tube — in a tire

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