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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · press · nail · clip · cell · charge · pop · mine

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. pop — soda
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. press — to push
  5. clip — for paper
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cell — in biology
  8. charge — in control
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pop — music
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cell — a phone
  15. clip — a video
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pop — to visit
  19. snap — to click
  20. charge — a price
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cell — in a prison
  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