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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: pop · file · coach · cue · rush · tube · cap · club

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. club — for golf
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cap — a lid
  9. club — for dancing
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cue — for pool
  12. club — a group
  13. file — a tool
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cue — a hint
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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