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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: press · chip · arm · content · wind · swing

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chip — to eat
  9. content — the amount
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chip — for betting
  15. press — to push
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wind — moving air

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