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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · fall · suit · coach · shower · deal · board · file

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fall — to drop
  3. suit — in cards
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. shower — rain
  11. file — a tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — to wash
  14. suit — clothes
  15. board — to get on
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fall — the season
  18. drill — the tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a committee

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