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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: bear · press · band · swing · roll · chip · sharp · staff

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. press — to push
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. staff — employees
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — newspapers
  12. chip — to eat
  13. staff — employees
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. roll — a cake
  17. press — a publisher
  18. roll — a list
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. band — a music group
  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