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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 · mine · board · toast · mate · rush · deal · race

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — hurry
  4. land — a country
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. board — to get on
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mine — for digging
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. land — ground
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. board — a committee
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. toast — bread
  22. race — a contest
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. board — a flat piece

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