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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 116 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 · perch · sharp · plane · key · fine · last · mouse

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. land — ground
  3. last — to go on
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. land — to come down
  7. fine — all right
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. plane — a tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. key — in music
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — a country
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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