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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: bark · object · present · lash · chair · cue · date · stick

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bark — to shout
  3. present — a gift
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. object — an aim
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. object — to protest
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cue — a signal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. object — a thing
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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