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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · bear · capital · ground · field · bowl · pass · file

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. file — a tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spell — letters
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a document
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. field — farmland
  19. capital — a city
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. spell — magic
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. capital — money

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