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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: season · coach · key · nail · game · spring · bound · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. key — the most important part
  3. spring — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. spring — of water
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — the sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. season — in sport
  15. bound — tied together
  16. season — of the year
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. key — in music
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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