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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.

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
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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: wind · roll · hide · trunk · bass · court · ball · squash

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ball — a dance
  3. roll — a list
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wind — moving air
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — to crush
  11. court — for sport
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bass — the fish
  15. court — of law
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — low music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. court — of a king
  24. ball — a round shape

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