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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: firm · wake · pound · cue · ground · cap · pass · spell

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pound — a weight
  4. firm — a company
  5. spell — letters
  6. firm — decided
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ground — a position
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — magic
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pass — a permit
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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