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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 120 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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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: mark · clip · vault · spring · pit · pound · cap · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pit — in a race
  5. spring — of water
  6. clip — to cut
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fall — the season
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — the season
  21. cap — a hat
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pound — a weight
  24. clip — a video

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