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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 120 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: cabinet · perch · lie · court · field · pass · rash · content

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. court — of a king
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — a subject
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — for sport
  13. field — for sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. rash — a series
  16. lie — to recline
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — of law
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — happy
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cabinet — ministers

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