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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: firm · straw · lie · hide · staff · ground · pass · cabinet

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — a stick
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. firm — a company
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. firm — steady
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. firm — decided
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. staff — employees

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