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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: file · clip · patient · calf · straw · foot · pit · firm

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. firm — a company
  3. clip — to cut
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. firm — steady
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. firm — decided
  18. file — a tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — a measure
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. clip — for paper

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