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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: pass · foot · file · perch · lie · degree · court · field

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. foot — a measure
  6. field — a subject
  7. degree — temperature
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. file — a document
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. file — a tool
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. degree — from a university

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