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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.

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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: patient · staff · key · file · chest · court · kick · toast

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a document
  7. chest — a box
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. court — of law
  10. key — the most important part
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. kick — in football
  14. file — a tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. court — for sport
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. staff — a stick
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — bread
  21. court — of a king
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — employees
  24. patient — a sick person

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