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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: fine · field · capital · sharp · prune · deal · club · track

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. track — a path
  3. fine — high quality
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fine — all right
  6. prune — to trim
  7. club — for dancing
  8. capital — a city
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. field — for sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. club — for golf
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. track — a song
  15. capital — money
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. club — a group
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. deal — to handle
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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