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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: season · court · rush · mug · key · bound

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mug — to rob
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rush — hurry
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. court — for sport
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mug — a cup
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — of law
  18. mug — a face

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