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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
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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: cold · key · court · mug · wind · bound · spring · vault

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bound — tied together
  3. court — of law
  4. spring — of water
  5. bound — obliged
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. court — of a king
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bound — certain
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. key — in music
  18. court — for sport
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a cup
  22. key — for a lock
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wind — to turn a key

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