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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: staff · club · kid · lie · cap · land · pass · hide

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — to come down
  5. kid — child
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. kid — to tease
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — a group
  10. pass — a permit
  11. club — for golf
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — a country
  21. club — for dancing
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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