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 120 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: fork · chair · field · snap · court · ground · branch · straw

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. branch — a division
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. court — of law
  6. field — farmland
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. court — of a king
  16. snap — to click
  17. ground — a position
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. court — for sport
  23. fork — in a road
  24. branch — of a tree

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