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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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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: foot · net · snap · wake · rest · current · hide · chest

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — what's left
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. rest — a break
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — of your body
  10. net — after costs
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — for catching
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. current — electric
  18. snap — to click
  19. chest — a box
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. net — in sport
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. foot — a measure

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