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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: present · arm · capital · dip · drill · stand · chair · face

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. drill — army training
  11. chair — a leader
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. capital — money
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. drill — the tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. capital — a city
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. face — to confront
  20. drill — a practice
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. chair — to sit on

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