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 116 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: branch · bass · mate · net · kid · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. net — for catching
  4. mate — to breed
  5. net — after costs
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. branch — a division
  8. land — ground
  9. kid — child
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bass — low music
  16. net — in sport
  17. kid — to tease
  18. branch — of a tree

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