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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: arm · file · patient · calf · pit · foot · cold · season

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — an illness
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. season — in sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. file — a document
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — in a race
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. file — a tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cold — not warm
  24. arm — part of the body

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