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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: bulb · hand · charge · cold · cap · board · mug · pitcher

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. hand — help
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mug — a face
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. board — a committee
  24. charge — electricity

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