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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: date · stock · last · charge · fine · cold · season · board

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. charge — in control
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. board — a committee
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cold — not warm
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stock — shares
  13. board — to get on
  14. last — to go on
  15. stock — goods
  16. fine — all right
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. last — final
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. charge — a price
  23. cold — an illness
  24. last — finally

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