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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: race · current · patient · chip · racket · staff · pop · fall

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — a stick
  3. race — a contest
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. current — of water
  7. fall — the season
  8. staff — employees
  9. race — the arms race
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pop — soda
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pop — music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. chip — to eat
  19. race — humankind
  20. fall — to drop
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. staff — employees

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