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: stick · bound · bear · field · snap · deal · press · ground

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. field — a subject
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. press — to push
  8. field — farmland
  9. snap — to click
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. deal — to handle
  18. press — a publisher
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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