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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: charge · cold · mouse · fan · club · stock · board · mine

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. club — a group
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. board — to get on
  16. charge — electricity
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. charge — a price
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — goods

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