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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: bound · pitch · season · temple · squash · vault · press · capital

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bound — certain
  8. season — in sport
  9. capital — a city
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. capital — money
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pitch — completely
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bound — tied together
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. press — to push
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. season — of the year

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