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 120 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: bowl · pound · band · snap · stock · trunk · arm · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. snap — to click
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stock — goods
  10. band — a music group
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stock — shares
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pound — a weight
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pound — for dogs

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