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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: pass · current · cold · fall · can · coach · capital · vault

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. capital — a city
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. current — electric
  4. cold — an illness
  5. can — a tin
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. current — happening now
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. can — to be able to
  14. current — of water
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pass — a permit
  18. vault — a safe
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fall — the season
  21. capital — money
  22. can — a tin
  23. coach — a trainer
  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