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: can · land · field · kid · branch · current · deal · net

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. net — for catching
  4. current — happening now
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — ground
  8. can — to be able to
  9. kid — to tease
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — of water
  15. net — after costs
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. current — electric
  18. land — to come down
  19. branch — a division
  20. kid — child
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  24. field — a subject

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