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: bark · court · club · snap · fan · field · fall · press

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — the season
  6. press — newspapers
  7. club — for golf
  8. bark — to shout
  9. court — of law
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — for sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. field — a subject
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. press — to push
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. court — of a king
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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