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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.

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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 · vault · pop · season · bound · date · mug · pitch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bound — tied together
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bound — certain
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mug — a face
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — music
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mug — a cup
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pop — soda
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. key — in music

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