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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 120 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: current · chest · degree · row · present · lash · race · temple

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chest — of your body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. current — happening now
  5. chest — a box
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. row — a line
  8. present — a gift
  9. row — to paddle
  10. race — humankind
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. present — there
  13. race — a contest
  14. current — of water
  15. chest — of your body
  16. current — electric
  17. degree — from a university
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. race — the arms race
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. present — the time now

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