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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: bass · vault · key · straw · stand · cold · march · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bass — low music
  3. current — happening now
  4. cold — an illness
  5. key — in music
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. key — the most important part
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. march — the month
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. vault — a safe
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — the fish
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. current — electric
  19. cold — not warm
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stand — to bear
  22. march — music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cold — the Cold War

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