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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: current · can · chair · hide · spell · bulb · pass · capital

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. can — a tin
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. capital — a city
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. current — happening now
  13. pass — a permit
  14. chair — a leader
  15. current — of water
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — money
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. current — electric

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