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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.

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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
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Word bank
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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: court · bass · hide · plane · trunk · squash · season · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. court — for sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. season — in sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. toast — bread
  15. court — of law
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. plane — a tool
  18. squash — the sport
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. season — of the year
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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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