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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: cold · press · cap · stand · deal · vault · tear · toast

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. deal — a big deal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — not warm
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stand — to bear
  9. press — to push
  10. toast — bread
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tear — from crying
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. vault — a safe
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cold — an illness
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  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