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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: field · content · court · stem · pit · fall · degree · temple

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. court — of a king
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. court — of law
  9. field — farmland
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. degree — from a university
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pit — in a race
  20. field — a subject
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. content — videos and posts

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