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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: roll · hide · pit · face · mine · land · fork · spell

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spell — letters
  3. roll — a cake
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. face — to confront
  6. roll — a list
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — a hole
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. fork — in a road
  16. land — a country
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. face — to point toward
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. land — ground

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