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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: chest · rash · current · degree · drill · lash · sharp · coach

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. current — electric
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. sharp — clever
  6. drill — army training
  7. current — of water
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — temperature
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. degree — from a university
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. current — happening now
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chest — a box
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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