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: tear · cold · coach · present · object · mine · wake · mark

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wake — a trail
  3. present — a gift
  4. cold — an illness
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mark — a trace
  8. object — to protest
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tear — from crying
  13. object — an aim
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. object — a thing
  20. present — the time now
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. present — there

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