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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: bowl · row · swing · snap · cell · last · stand · leaves

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. last — final
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cell — in biology
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cell — a phone
  15. swing — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. last — finally
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. snap — to click
  24. last — to go on

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