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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · foot · key · cold · press · mouse · bass · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — for a lock
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cold — not warm
  6. key — in music
  7. cold — an illness
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. press — newspapers
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. press — to push
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bass — low music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bass — the fish
  23. key — the most important part
  24. staff — a stick

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