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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: deal · bat · kid · wound · stand · arm · jam · perch

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wound — an injury
  5. perch — the fish
  6. kid — to tease
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. kid — child
  15. deal — to handle
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — the animal

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