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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 120 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: patient · last · present · safe · chest · tear · foot · pitch

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chest — of your body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — to go on
  5. present — there
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chest — a box
  9. present — a gift
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pitch — completely
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. present — the time now
  23. chest — of your body
  24. foot — the bottom

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