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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: board · hand · lash · calf · cap · degree · fall · ruler

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — a hat
  7. board — to get on
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — help
  14. board — a committee
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fall — to drop
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. hand — in cards

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