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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. swing — music
  3. clip — a video
  4. chip — to eat
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rash — a series
  10. fall — the season
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bulb — for light
  14. band — a music group
  15. clip — to cut
  16. band — a ring
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. press — to push
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bulb — for light

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