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: stand · pop · present · coach · bat · date · net · cap

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pop — soda
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pop — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. net — for catching
  24. stand — on your feet

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