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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: coach · drill · pit · mate · shower · stand · nail · file

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. drill — army training
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a tool
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. file — a document
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. stand — to bear
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mate — to breed
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. drill — a practice
  24. file — a line of people

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