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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
468
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: bore · hand · tube · calf · capital · pitcher · pit · cue

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — to drill
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tube — a container
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — a city
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. capital — money
  17. pit — in a race
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bore — to tire
  24. calf — a young animal

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