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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 · current · straw

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. current — of water
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kid — child
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fork — in a road
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cue — a hint
  15. snap — to click
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cue — a signal
  20. current — happening now
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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