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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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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: cue · clip · track · vault · date · row · pit · cap

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. track — a song
  3. cue — for pool
  4. row — a line
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. vault — a safe
  9. track — to keep track
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cue — a hint
  14. date — the fruit
  15. track — a path
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. clip — for paper
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. clip — a video
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. row — a quarrel

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