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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.

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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: land · fine · sharp · plane · mate · key · face · straw

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fine — all right
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fine — high quality
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. key — the most important part
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mate — to breed
  10. land — ground
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mate — a friend
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. key — for a lock
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. plane — a tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. land — a country
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. key — in music
  23. land — to come down
  24. straw — dry grass

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