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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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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: stand · field · drill · chair · straw · snap · dip · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. drill — army training
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. present — a gift
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. snap — to click
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — a practice
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — a leader
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. present — there
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stand — to bear

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