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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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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: clip · chair · band · swing · cap · press

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. swing — in golf
  3. clip — a video
  4. press — newspapers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. band — a ring
  7. press — to push
  8. chair — a leader
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cap — a hat
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. clip — for paper
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. band — a music group
  18. cap — a lid

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