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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: cold · march · mouse · board · cabinet · charge · stock · kid

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — to get on
  8. stock — shares
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. march — the month
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stock — goods
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cold — not warm
  16. charge — in control
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — a committee
  20. kid — child
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. charge — a price

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