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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: rule · calf · present · hand · fork · pitcher · roll · bore

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. present — a gift
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. roll — a list
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. present — there
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rule — a law
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rule — government
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bore — to tire
  22. present — the time now
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pitcher — a jug

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