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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 120 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 · chip · track · bear · cap · bound · row · key

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bound — certain
  6. land — to come down
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. track — a path
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. track — a song
  16. cap — a lid
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. key — in music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — a country
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — for betting

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