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: stock · mark · prune · coach · season · face · present · cold

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. season — of the year
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — to confront
  11. present — a gift
  12. cold — an illness
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stock — shares
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. prune — to trim

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