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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.

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: court · vault · key · wound · pitch · temple · season · leaves

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. key — in music
  7. court — of law
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. vault — a safe
  10. season — of the year
  11. key — for a lock
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. temple — side of the head
  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