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: court · mine · bore · coach · spring · current · snap · squash

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spring — a coil
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. court — of law
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. squash — the sport
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — for sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. current — electric
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bore — to tire
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — of water
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — of a king
  23. spring — the season
  24. squash — the vegetable

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