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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: cap · bulb · mug · cue · shower · board · charge · squash

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cue — a hint
  5. squash — the sport
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. board — a committee
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. charge — in control
  16. cap — of ice
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a face
  23. board — to get on
  24. cue — a signal

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