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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
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: fan · last · fork · date · snap · roll · face · land

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fork — in a road
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. roll — a cake
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to click
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. land — a country
  18. last — final
  19. face — to point toward
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. roll — a list
  22. land — to come down
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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