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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: fan · vault · cold · season · wind · pop · stock · charge

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. charge — in control
  6. stock — shares
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — goods
  9. season — in sport
  10. pop — soda
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — not warm
  13. season — of the year
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — a price
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cold — an illness
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pop — music
  24. vault — a safe

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