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: coach · hide · tear · land · spring · last · sharp · pitcher

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — the season
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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