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: dip · date · land · content · drill · track · row · temple

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. land — to come down
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — the fruit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. drill — a practice
  10. land — a country
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — army training
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — happy
  16. land — ground
  17. track — a path
  18. row — to paddle
  19. track — to keep track
  20. drill — the tool
  21. content — the amount
  22. dip — to sink
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. track — a song

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