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: press · field · drill · present · net · mate · face · snap

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. net — after costs
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. snap — to click
  8. mate — a friend
  9. drill — army training
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. face — to point toward
  12. drill — a practice
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. present — there
  15. press — newspapers
  16. face — to confront
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. press — to push
  21. face — part of the head
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — the tool
  24. press — a publisher

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