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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · fan · march · patient · race · pitcher

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. race — a contest
  3. season — in sport
  4. march — the month
  5. race — humankind
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. race — the arms race
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. patient — a sick person

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