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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: board · rule · date · plane · patient · game · stand · chair

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. date — the fruit
  4. rule — government
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. chair — a leader
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rule — a law
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — a match
  24. date — on the calendar

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