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: drill · season · bark · temple · current · last · tear · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. current — happening now
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. last — final
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. last — finally
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — electric
  12. last — to go on
  13. current — of water
  14. tear — from crying
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tear — to rip
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. season — in sport
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. drill — army training
  22. season — of the year
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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