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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: bear · ground · capital · pop · cap · net · spell · pass

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pop — soda
  4. pass — a permit
  5. net — after costs
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. spell — letters
  10. capital — money
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pop — music
  13. cap — a lid
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ground — crushed
  16. net — for catching
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. capital — a city
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pass — to spend time

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