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: snap · spring · calf · ground · bat · chair · bark · press

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bark — to shout
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spring — the season
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. press — to push
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. snap — to click
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ground — a position

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