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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: mine · board · rush · row · lie · land · ball · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — to come down
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. board — to get on
  16. rush — hurry
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. row — a line
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — ground
  22. ball — a great time
  23. board — a committee
  24. land — a country

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