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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: row · chip · key · ground · suit · season · bore · land

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. ground — crushed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. suit — clothes
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. land — a country
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chip — for betting
  12. suit — to fit
  13. season — in sport
  14. suit — in cards
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chip — to eat
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. key — in music
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ground — a position
  24. season — of the year

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