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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: kid · firm · pitcher · bank · pitch · march · toast · temple

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. march — the month
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — a company
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. march — music
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kid — to tease
  14. toast — bread
  15. firm — decided
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitch — completely

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