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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 116 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: coach · fork · snap · cue · stick · kid

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fork — in a road
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cue — for pool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kid — child

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