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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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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: coach · tube · kick · club · fall · pit · scale · mate

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fall — the season
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for golf
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. fall — to drop

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