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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · bass · deal · cold · press · patient · chest · plane

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. deal — to handle
  4. key — in music
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — to push
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. plane — a tool
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — low music
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chest — of your body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bass — the fish
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. press — a publisher
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cold — an illness

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