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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: press · roll · swing · craft · band · toast · file · content

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. band — a ring
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. file — a document
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. press — newspapers
  8. craft — a skill
  9. press — to push
  10. file — a line of people
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — in golf
  13. toast — bread
  14. roll — a list
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. press — a publisher
  17. craft — boats
  18. band — a music group
  19. content — happy
  20. swing — to play on
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. file — a tool
  23. roll — a cake
  24. swing — music

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