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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: roll · kick · file · field · pass · march · degree · branch

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — for sport
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. degree — temperature
  5. roll — a list
  6. kick — in football
  7. march — music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. march — the month
  14. file — a line of people
  15. degree — an amount
  16. branch — a division
  17. roll — a cake
  18. field — farmland
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. file — a document

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