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: current · cold · straw · fan · safe · bore · squash · hand

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. squash — to crush
  3. current — of water
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. hand — help
  7. cold — not warm
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cold — an illness
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — happening now
  17. bore — to tire
  18. current — electric
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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