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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: fork · scale · roll · key · file · lie · wind · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. scale — in music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. key — the most important part
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fork — in a road
  24. file — a document

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