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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: file · stand · kid · tube · pit · coach · cell · can

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cell — a phone
  8. file — a document
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stand — to bear
  11. can — a tin
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. file — a tool
  16. kid — child
  17. pit — a hole
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — in biology
  22. file — a line of people
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. can — to be able to

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