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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
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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: content · cabinet · degree · staff · patient · kick · band · key

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. degree — an amount
  3. content — happy
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. staff — a stick
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. staff — employees
  12. key — in music
  13. band — a music group
  14. content — the amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. degree — temperature
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. staff — employees
  22. band — a ring
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. key — the most important part

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