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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.

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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: current · pitch · chair · hide · fan · rule · patient · race

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a leader
  9. current — electric
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. current — of water
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rule — a law
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitch — completely
  24. patient — a sick person

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