ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

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.

Make a worksheet

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
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

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: squash · toast · bore · snap · vault · mate · fork · cold

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bore — to tire
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. toast — bread
  10. vault — a safe
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. snap — to click
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fork — in a road
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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