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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: drill · jam · staff · race · pit · branch · cap · present

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cap — a hat
  3. branch — a division
  4. cap — of ice
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pit — in a race
  11. present — the time now
  12. drill — the tool
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. race — the arms race
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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