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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: fall · content · patient · last · board · chest · mate · foot

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mate — to breed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — to go on
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. board — to get on
  10. last — finally
  11. fall — the season
  12. content — happy
  13. board — a committee
  14. chest — of your body
  15. last — final
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chest — a box
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mate — a friend
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. content — the amount

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