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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · march · cold · current · hand · swing · court · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. current — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — in golf
  6. march — music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. current — happening now
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. swing — music
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hand — help
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. current — electric
  18. court — of a king
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. march — the month
  22. court — for sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of law

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