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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: season · charge · cold · fan · net · mine · bass · fine

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. charge — a price
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cold — an illness
  10. charge — electricity
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — low music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — in sport
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cold — not warm
  18. net — for catching
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fine — all right
  22. charge — in control
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mine — for digging

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