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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: capital · racket · last · content · present · kick · suit · cell

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. last — final
  3. capital — money
  4. content — happy
  5. present — the time now
  6. content — the amount
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cell — a phone
  10. last — to go on
  11. suit — to fit
  12. present — a gift
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. suit — in cards
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cell — in biology
  19. last — finally
  20. suit — clothes
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. capital — a city
  24. kick — with a leg

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