English Homophones
A homonym is a word that is said or spelled the same way as another word but has a different meaning.
This big linguistic category consists of homophones and homographs.
Homographs are words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings and may have different pronunciations.
Examples of common homographs include:
- wind - to turn/moving air
- contract - an agreement/to get, acquire or incur
- desert - a hot, arid region/to leave
- minute - 60 seconds/extremely small/protocol
Homophones are words that have exactly the same pronunciation but different meanings and usually spelling.
Examples of common English homophones include:
Air - the mixture of gases around the Earth that we breathe
Heir - someone who will get another person’s money and things when that person dies
All - every person or thing in a group
Awl - a pointed tool for making small holes in wood or leather
Allowed - to say that someone can do something
Aloud - audibly; not silently or in a whisper
Ant - a small insect, often with a sting, that usually lives in a complex social colony with one or more breeding queens.
Aunt - the sister of someone’s mother or father, or the wife of someone’s uncle
Ball - a round object that you throw, kick, or hit in a game, or something with this shape
Bawl - to shout in a very loud voice
Base - the bottom part of something
Bass - producing low musical notes
Be – a verb
Bee - a yellow and black insect that makes honey (= sweet, sticky food)
Bear - to accept someone or something bad
Bare - not covered by clothes
Bite - to cut something using your teeth
Byte - a unit for measuring the amount of information a computer can store
Blue - being the same colour as the sky when there are no clouds
Blew – blow (past tense)
Bored - tired and unhappy because something is not interesting or because you are doing nothing
Board - a long, thin, flat piece of wood or other hard material, used for floors or other building purposes
Bow - to bend your head or body forward in order to show respect or to thank an audience
Bough - a large branch of a tree
Boy - a male child or young man
Buoy - a floating object used in water to mark dangerous areas for boats
Bread - a basic food made by mixing and baking flour and water
Bred – breed (past tense)
Break - to separate into two or more pieces, or to make something separate into two or more pieces
Brake - the part of a vehicle that makes it stop or go more slowly
Bury - to put a dead body into the ground
Berry - a small, round fruit on some plants and trees
But - used to introduce something new, especially something that is different from what you have just said
Butt - the part of a finished cigarette that has not been smoked
Buy - to get something by giving money for it
By - used to show the person or thing that does something
Bye - goodbye
Cash - money in the form of coins or notes (= paper money)
Cache - a hidden store of things, or the place where they are kept
Ceiling - the top surface of a room
Sealing - to close an entrance or container so that air or liquid cannot enter or leave it
Cent - a coin with a low value that is used in some countries
Sent - send (past tense)
Scent - a nice smell
Check - to look at something to make sure that it is right or safe
Cheque - a piece of paper printed by a bank that you use to pay for things
Cheap - not expensive, or costing less than usual
Cheep - the high, weak cry made by a young bird
Course - used to say ‘yes’ strongly, often to be polite
Coarse - rough or made of large pieces
Colonel - an officer of high rank in the army or air force
Kernel - the part of a nut that is inside the shell and can be eaten
Dam - a strong wall built across a river to stop the water and make a lake
Damn - used to express anger or disappointment
Days - a period of 24 hours (plr)
Daze - unable to think clearly
Dear - used at the beginning of a letter, before the name of the person you are writing to
Deer - a large, wild animal that has antlers (= long horns) if it is male
Dew - drops of water that form on surfaces outside during the night
Due - expected or planned
Die - to stop living
Dye - a substance that is used to change the colour of something
Eight - the number 8
Ate - eat (past tense)
Fare - the price that you pay to travel on a plane, train, bus, etc.
Fair - fair hair or skin, or a person who has it, is pale or light in colour
Feet - foot (plr)
Feat - something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, courage, etc. to achieve it
Fete - an event that happens outside and includes competitions, games, and things for sale
Flower - the attractive coloured part of a plant where the seeds grow
Flour - a powder made from grain that is used to make bread and cakes
Foul - very dirty or bad
Fowl - a bird of a type that is used to produce meat or eggs
For - preposition
Fore - to public attention or into a noticeable position
Four - the number 4
Fur - the thick hair that covers the bodies of some animals like cats and rabbits
Fir - a tree with very thin, straight leaves that do not fall off in winter
Gate - a door in a fence or outside wall
Gait - a particular way of walking
Great - very good
Grate - to break food such as cheese into small, thin pieces by rubbing it against a grater
Grown - grow (past tense)
Groan - to make a long, low sound because you are sad or in pain
Hair - the thin threads that grow on the head and body of people and animals
Hare - an animal like a large rabbit that can run very fast and has long ears
Hall - a room that leads to other rooms
Haul - to pull something somewhere slowly and with difficulty
Hay - dried grass for animals to eat
Hey - used to get someone’s attention or to show that you are interested, excited, or angry
Heard - hear (past tense)
Herd - a large group of animals such as cows that live and eat together
Heart - the organ inside your chest that sends blood around your body
Hart - a male deer, especially a red deer
Here - in the place where you are
Hear - to be aware of a sound through your ears
High - having a long distance from the bottom to the top
Hi - hello
Him - pronoun
Hymn - a song sung by Christians in church
Hole - a hollow space in something, or an opening in something
Whole - complete, including every part
Hour - a period of time equal to 60 minutes
Our - belonging to us
Horse - a large animal with four legs that people ride or use to pull heavy things
Hoarse - If you are hoarse, your voice sounds rough, often because you are ill
I – a pronoun, used when the person speaking or writing is the subject of the verb
Eye - one of the two organs in your face that you use to see with
In - inside a container or place
Inn - a small hotel, especially one in the countryside
Isle - (used especially in place names) an island
Aisle - a passage between the lines of seats in a plane, church, theatre, etc
Jail - a place where criminals are kept as a punishment
Gaol – another UK spelling of jail
Key - a piece of metal that you use for locking a door or starting an engine
Quay - a structure built next to water where ships stop and things are taken on and off
Lone - having no companions; solitary or single
Loan - money that someone borrows
Made – make (past tense)
Maid - a woman who cleans or cooks in a hotel or in someone’s home
Male - belonging to or relating to the sex that cannot have babies
Mail - letters and parcels that you get or send
Meat - the soft parts of animals, used as food
Meet - to come to the same place as someone else
Mete - to give or order a punishment or make someone receive cruel or unfair treatment
Might - used to talk about what will possibly happen
Mite - a very small animal similar to a spider
Morning - the first half of the day, from the time when the sun rises until the middle of the day
Mourning - a feeling of sadness because someone has died
Need - If you need something, you must have it, and if you need to do something, you must do it
Knead - to press the mixture for making bread with your hands before you cook it
New - different from before
Knew - know (past tense)
Night - the time in every 24 hours when it is dark and people sleep
Knight - a man given a rank of honour by a British king or queen because of his special achievements, and who has the right to be called "Sir"
None - not any
Nun - a member of a group of religious women who live away from other people
Not - used to give something the opposite meaning
Knot - a place where pieces of string, rope, etc. have been tied together
One - the number 1
Won - win (past tense)
Or - used between possibilities, or before the last of many possibilities
Ore - rock or soil from which metal is made
Pail - a round, open container with a handle, used for carrying liquids
Pale - light blue, green, red, etc
Pain - a bad feeling in a part of your body when you are ill or hurt
Pane - a flat piece of glass in a window or door
Pair - two people who are doing something together
Pear - an oval-shaped, green or yellow fruit
Pare - to cut away the outer layer from something, especially a fruit or a vegetable
Patience - the ability to stay calm and not get upset, especially when something takes a long time
Patients - someone who is being treated by a doctor, nurse, etc
Peace - a situation in which there is quiet and calm
Piece - an amount of something, or a part of something
Pie - a type of food made with meat, vegetables, or fruit that is covered in pastry and baked
Pi - the number (approximately 3.14) used to calculate the size of circles
Pier - a long structure that is built from the land out over water and that sometimes has restaurants, etc. on it
Peer - to look carefully or with difficulty
Plain - simple and not complicated
Plane - a vehicle that flies and has an engine and wings
Pole - a long, thin stick made of wood or metal, used to hold something up
Poll - the process of asking people questions to discover what they think about a subject
Pour - to make a liquid flow from or into a container
Poor - having little money
Pore - a very small hole in the skin of people or other animals, or asimilar hole on the surface of plants or rocks
Pray - to speak to a god in order to show your feelings or to ask for something
Prey - an animal that is hunted and killed by another animal
Rack - a type of shelf that you can put things on or hang things from
Wrack - rack and ruin
Rain - water that falls from the sky in small drops
Rein - a long, thin piece of leather that helps you to control a horse
Reign - a period of time when a king or queen rules a country
Raise - to lift something to a higher position
Rays - narrow beams of light, heat, or energy
Raze - to completely destroy a city, building, etc.
Read - to look at words and understand what they mean
Reed - (the hollow stem of) any of various types of tall, stiff plants likegrasses growing together in groups near water
Real - existing and not imagined
Reel - an object shaped like a wheel that you can put film, thread, etc. around
Red - being the same colour as blood
Read- to look at words and understand what they mean (past tense)
Right - correct or true
Write - to make words, letters, or numbers on a surface using a pen or pencil
Rite - (a usually religious ceremony with) a set of fixed words and actions
Ring - a round piece of jewellery that you wear on your finger
Wring - to twist a cloth or piece of clothing with your hands to removewater from it
Role - a part in a play or movie
Roll - to move somewhere by turning in a circular direction, or to make something move this way
Root - the part of a plant that grows under the ground
Route - the roads you follow to get from one place to another place
Sail - to control or travel in a boat or a ship that has an engine or sails
Sale - a time when a shop sells things for less money than usual
See - to notice people and things with your eyes
Sea - a large area of salt water
C
Seem - to appear to be
Seam - a line of sewing where two pieces of cloth have been joined together
Sell - to give something to someone who gives you money for it
Cell - the smallest living part of an animal or a plant
Sheer - used to say that a feeling or quality is very strong
Shear - to cut the wool off a sheep
Size - how big or small something is
Sighs - to make a noise when you breathe out, often because you are sad
Sleigh - a type of sledge pulled by animals, especially horses or dogs
Slay - to kill in a violent way
So - used before an adjective or adverb to make that adjective or adverb stronger
Sew - to join things together with a needle and thread
Sow - to put seeds into the ground
Sole - only
Soul - the part of a person that is not his or her body, which some people believe continues to exist after they die
Some - used to mean an amount of something without saying exactly how much or how many
Sum - an amount of money
Stair - a set of steps that lead from one level of a building to another
Stare - to look at someone or something for a long time and not move your eyes
Stake - a share or a financial involvement in something such as a business
Steak - a thick, flat piece of meat or fish
Straight - not curved or bent
Strait - a narrow area of sea that connects two large areas of sea
Sun - the large, bright star that shines in the sky during the day and gives light and heat to the Earth
Son - someone’s male child
Sunny - bright because of light from the sun
Sonny - a form of address used by an older person to a boy or a young man
Sweet - with a taste like sugar
Suite - an en suite bathroom is directly connected to a bedroom
Т
Tea - a hot drink that you make by pouring water onto dried leaves
Tee - a piece of cotton clothing for the top part of the body with short sleeves and no collar
Tail - the long, narrow part that sticks out from the back of an animal’s body
Tale - a story about exciting events, sometimes one that is not true
Team- a group of people who play a sport or game together
Teem - to rain heavily
Tears - to pull paper, cloth, etc. into pieces, or to make a hole in it by accident
Tiers - one of several layers or levels (plr)
Time - a particular point in the day or night
Thyme - a herb used in cooking
Toe - one of the five separate parts at the end of your foot
Tow - to pull a car, boat, etc.
Two - the number 2
Too - used before adjectives and adverbs to mean ‘more than is allowed, necessary, possible, etc.
To - used with a verb to make the infinitive
You - used to mean the person or people you are talking to
Ewe - a female sheep, especially an adult one
Yew - an evergreen tree (= one that never loses its leaves) with flat leaves like needles and small, red cones, or the wood from this tree
Vain - too interested in your own appearance and thinking you are very attractive
Vane - a flat, narrow part of a fan, propeller , etc. which turns because of the pressure of air or liquid against it
Vein - one of the tubes in your body that carries blood to your heart
Very - used to make an adjective or adverb stronger
Vary - if things of the same type vary, they are different from each other
Waist - the part around the middle of your body where you wear a belt
Waste - a bad use of something useful, such as time or money
Wait - to stay in a place until someone or something arrives
Weight - how heavy someone or something is
Wave - to put your hand up and move it from side to side in order to attract someone’s attention or to say goodbye
Waive - to not demand something you have a right to, or not cause a rule to be obeyed
Way - how you do something
Weigh - to have a weight of
We - used as the subject of the verb when the person speaking or writing is referring to themselves and one or more other people
Wee - small; little
Weather - the temperature or conditions outside, for example if it is hot, cold, sunny, etc
Whether - used to talk about a choice between two or more possibilities
Week - a period of seven days
Weak - not physically strong
Whale - a very large animal that looks like a fish and lives in the sea
Wail - to cry loudly because you are very sad
Where - used to ask about the place or position of someone or something
Wear - to have a piece of clothing, jewellery, etc. on your body
Which - used to ask or talk about a choice between two or more things
Witch - in stories, a woman who has magical powers
Wood - the hard material that trees are made of
Would - used to say what might happen if something else happens
Write - to make words, letters, or numbers on a surface using a pen or pencil
Rite - a ceremony or event that leads to a new phase of life
Right - correct or true
Wrote – write (past tense)
Rote - learning something in order to be able to repeat it from memory, rather than in order to understand it