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 · patient · press · perch · cabinet · field · net · bat

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — the fish
  4. net — in sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. press — to push
  10. field — for sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — farmland
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — for catching
  24. bark — 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