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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bound · patient · bowl · degree · current · last · arm · cold

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. current — happening now
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bound — tied together
  15. current — electric
  16. degree — from a university
  17. last — to go on
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. last — final
  20. degree — temperature
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. last — finally
  23. current — of water
  24. cold — not warm

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