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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cap — a lid
  4. court — for sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. season — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. cap — of ice
  9. spring — a coil
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. season — of the year
  13. court — of law
  14. spring — the season
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. net — for catching
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. firm — steady
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — of water

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