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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
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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 · capital · current · clip · fan · snap · toast · nail

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. toast — bread
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. clip — a video
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. current — electric
  9. snap — to click
  10. clip — to cut
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. current — of water
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. capital — money
  23. charge — in control
  24. current — happening now

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