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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: fork · pop · press · squash · nail · charge · roll · clip

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pop — music
  3. fork — in a road
  4. press — a publisher
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. squash — the sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — to cut
  12. roll — a list
  13. squash — to crush
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pop — soda
  17. charge — a price
  18. clip — for paper
  19. press — to push
  20. charge — in control
  21. clip — a video
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pop — to visit
  24. squash — the vegetable

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