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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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Word bank
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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 · suit · march · ball · court · cabinet · kick · last

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. capital — a city
  2. ball — a dance
  3. suit — clothes
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. march — music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. suit — in cards
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. last — to go on
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. last — final
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. court — for sport
  14. suit — to fit
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a great time
  17. last — finally
  18. kick — in football
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — money
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  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