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: bat · stock · lie · coach · leaves · race · stand · net

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — shares
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. net — in sport
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stock — goods
  15. stand — to bear
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. race — a contest
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — after costs
  21. bat — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. race — humankind

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