If you’re looking to discover a complete list of homonyms in English, you’ve come to the right place. Here you will find interesting homonym definitions and a comprehensive list of homonyms in English with example sentences and ESL printable worksheets.
What is a Homonym?
Homonym Definition
In English, a homonym is a word that sounds the same as another word but differs in meaning.
Homonyms can refer to both homophones and homographs.
- A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning and is spelled differently.
- Homographs are words with the same spelling but having more than one meaning.
The description of a homonym covers that of both a homograph and a homophone. For example, ‘bear’, ‘tear’ and ‘lead’ are all homographs, but they also satisfy the criteria of a homonym. They simply need to look or sound the same. Likewise, while ‘sell’, ‘cell’, ‘by’, and ‘buy’ are all homophones, they are also homonyms.
Examples of Homonyms
Words that sound the same but have different meaning and are spelled differently (homophones)
- Weak — Week
- Sun — Son
- See — Sea
- Plane — Plain
- Meet — Meat
Words that sound the same but have different meaning and are spelled the same (homographs)
- Address – Address
- Band – Band
- Bat – Bat
- Match – Match
- Mean – Mean
- Right – Right
- Ring – Ring
Homonyms examples
Homonyms Examples
List of Homonyms with Examples
Learn a huge list of homonyms in English with example sentences.
Address – Address
- I can give you the address of a good attorney.
- That letter was addressed to me.
Band – Band
- The band was playing old Beatles songs.
- She always ties her hair back in a band.
- Many insects are banded black and yellow.
Bat – Bat
- I am afraid of bats.
- It’s his first time at bat in the major leagues.
Match – Match
- If you suspect a gas leak do not strike a match or use electricity.
- Her fingerprints match those found at the scene of the crime.
Mean – Mean
- What does this sentence mean?
- He needed to find a mean between frankness and rudeness.
Right – Right
- I’m sure I’m right.
- Take a right turn at the intersection.
Ring – Ring
- What a beautiful ring!
- The children sat on the floor in a ring.
Rock – Rock
- Komuro formed a rock band with some friends while in college.
- To build the tunnel, they had to cut through 500 feet of solid rock.
Rose – Rose
- She has a rose garden.
- Sales rose by 20% over the Christmas period.
Spring – Spring
- I’m sorry to spring it on you, but I’ve been offered another job.
- He was born in the spring of 1944.
Stalk – Stalk
- He ate the apple, stalk and all.
- Snatching up my bag, I stalk out of the room.
Well – Well
- The conference was very well organized.
- The dog fell down a well.
Clip – Clip
- They are clips from the new James Bond film.
- The wire is held on with a metal clip.
Date – Date
- The date on the letter was 30th August 1962.
- She and Ron go to the park to date.
Drop – Drop
- The apples are beginning to drop from the trees.
- A single drop of blood splashed onto the floor.
Fly – Fly
- A fly was buzzing against the window.
- Let’s fly a kite.
Letter – Letter
- There’s a letter for you.
- “B” is the second letter of the alphabet.
Palm – Palm
- He held the bird gently in the palm of his hand.
- The coconut palm is a native of Malaysia.
Park – Park
- We went for a walk in the park.
- The tennis court is sometimes used as a car park.
Point – Point
- He’s just saying that to prove a point.
- Everything seemed to point in one direction.
Ruler – Ruler
- I have a 12 inch ruler.
- King Priam was a firm, but just ruler.
Saw – Saw
- Saw is a tool that has a long blade with sharp points along one of its edges.
- Last night, I saw a lovely girl.
Scale – Scale
- They entertain on a large scale.
- He somehow managed to scale the sheer outside wall of the tower.
Ship – Ship
- There are two restaurants on board ship.
- A new engine was shipped over from the US.
Sink – Sink
- The ships sink to the bottom of the sea.
- I felt chained to the kitchen sink.
Tie – Tie
- He had to tie her hands together.
- I wear a shirt and tie at work.
Trip – Trip
- We went on a trip to the mountains.
- Someone will trip over that cable.
Wave – Wave
- Huge waves were breaking on the shore.
- The people on the bus waved and we waved back.
Cool – Cool
- She swam out into the cool water.
- When tempers had cooled, he apologized.
Duck – Duck
- Every afternoon they went to the park to feed the duck.
- He had to duck as he came through the door.
Fall – Fall
- September had come and the leaves were starting to fall.
- The area is beautiful in the fall.
File – File
- Every file on the same disk must have a different name.
- We began to file out into the car park.
Foot – Foot
- My foot hurts.
- Once again it will be the taxpayer who has to foot the bill.
Left – Left
- Look left and right before you cross the road.
- The plane left for Dallas last night.
Nail – Nail
- The key was hanging on a nail by the door.
- I’ve broken my nail.
Watch – Watch
- I like watching TV every night.
- I glanced at my watch.
Can – Can
- Gabriella can speak French fluently.
- We drank a can of Coke each.
Homonyms Examples (Homophones)
Homonyms can refer to homophones (words that are pronounced the same as other words but differ in meaning and are spelled differently).
Fort – Fought
- Just the three of you going to be holding the fort tonight.
- He fought many battles with the early Labor party in Lancaster and discrimination against socialist employees was alleged.
Foul – Fowl
- He woke up with a foul taste in his mouth.
- Fish, fowl and meat, most with a decidedly Southwestern treatment, are represented on the menu.
Groan – Grown
- Richard’s jokes make you groan rather than laugh.
- He had been a grown man with a small but independent income when he had taken Minnie instead of her to wife.
Holy – Wholly
- The priest puts some holy water on the child’s head.
- The report claimed that the disaster was wholly unavoidable.
Hour – Our
- The interview lasted half an hour.
- We showed them some of our photos.
I – Eye
- I moved to this city six years ago.
- Ow! I’ve got something in my eye!
Know – No
- I know people’s handwriting changes as they get older.
“It was Tony.” - “‘No, you’re wrong. It was Ted.”
Links – Lynx
- A love of nature links the two poets.
- They may be eagle-eyed or watch like a lynx.
Mail – Male
- He found a mountain of mail waiting for him.
- Many women earn less than their male colleagues.
Meet – Meat
- Maybe we’ll meet again some time.
- I gave up eating meat a few months ago.
Peace – Piece
- I wish she would just leave me in peace.
- He broke off a piece of bread and gave it her.
Right – Write
- Keep on the right side of the road.
- She had to write a report on the project.
Scene – Seen
- The police soon arrived at the scene of the crime.
- He crouched down so he couldn’t be seen.
Than – Then
- Natalie was prettier than her sister.
- I wish I had known then what I know now.
Weak – Week
- She is still weak after her illness.
- He comes to see us once a week.
Homonyms List
Homonyms can refer to both homographs and homophones.
Homophones List | Homonyms List
List of homonyms in English.
- Ad – Add
- Ail – Ale
- Air – Heir
- All – Awl
- Allowed – Aloud
- Alms – Arms
Homonyms List Image
- Altar – Alter
- Ant – Aunt
- Arc – Ark
- Ate – Eight
- Auger – Augur
- Aural – Oral
- Baize – Bays
- Bald – Bawled
- Ball – Bawl
- Band – Banned
- Bard – Barred
- Bare – Bear
- Baron – Barren
- Be – Bee
- Beach – Beech
- Bean – Been
- Beer – Bier
- Berry – Bury
- Berth – Birth
- Billed – Build
- Blue – Blew
- Bored – Board
- Braid – Brayed
- Break – Brake
- Brews – Bruise
- Bridal – Bridle
- Broach – Brooch
- Buy – By/ Bye
- Capital – Capitol
- Cellar – Seller
- Census – Sense
- Cereal – Serial
- Chili – Chilly
- Choral – Coral
- Cite – Sight / Site
- Coarse – Course
- Complement – Compliment
- Coun – Counsel
- Deer – Dear
- Die – Dye
- Discreet – Discrete
- Doe – Dough
- Done – Dun
- Draft – Draught
- Dual – Duel
- Earn – Urn
- Ewe – You
- Farther – Father
- Faze – Phase
- File – Phial
- Find – Fined
- Fir – Fur
- Flaw – Floor
- Flea – Flee
- Flew – Flu/ Flue
- Flex – Flecks
- Flour – Flower
- For – Four
- Foreword – Forward
- Fort – Fought
- Foul – Fowl
- Gait – Gate
- Gamble – Gambol
- Genes – Jeans
- Gored – Gourd
- Great – Grate
- Groan – Grown
- Hart – Heart
- Hear – Here
- Heel – Heal
- Hi – High
- Him – Hymn
- Hoard – Horde
- Hole – Whole
- Holy – Wholly
- Hour – Our
- I – Eye
- Idle – Idol
- Incite – Insight
- Knead – Need
- Knew – New
- Knight – Night
- Knot – Not
- Know – No
- Leak – Leek
- Lessen – Lesson
- Levee – Levy
- Links – Lynx
- Loan – Lone
- Loot – Lute
- Made – Maid
- Mail – Male
- Main – Mane
- Manna – Manner
- Marshal – Martial
- Mask – Masque
- Maw – More
- Medal – Meddle
- Meet – Meat
- Might – Mite
- Mist – Missed
- Moose – Mousse
- Muscle – Mussel
- None – Nun
- Oar – Or
- Overdo – Overdue
- Pail – Pale
- Pain – Pane
- Pair – Pear
- Passed – Past
- Peace – Piece
- Peak – Peek
- Pedal – Peddle
- Plane – Plain
- Principal – Principle
- Profit – Prophet
- Rain – Reign
- Red – Read
- Right – Write
- Ring – Wring
- Rode – Road
- Role – Roll
- Rouse – Rows
- Rung – Wrung
- Sail – Sale
- Sauce – Seen
- Scull – Skull
- See – Sea
- Shoe – Shoo
- Side – Sighed
- Slay – Sleigh
- Soar – Sore
- Sole – Soul
- Some – Sum
- Sort – Sought
- Staid – Stayed
- Stalk – Stork
- Stare – Stair
- Stationary – Stationery
- Steal – Steel
- Stile – Style
- Sun – Son
- Tail – Tale
- Team – Teem
- Than – Then
- Their – There
- Throne – Thrown
- Tide – Tied
- To – Too / Two
- Toe – Tow
- Vain – Vein
- Vary – Very
- Wail – Whale
- Waste – Waist
- Way – Weigh
- Weak – Week
- Weather – Whether
- Where – Wear
- Which – Witch
- Who’s – Whose
- Won – One
- Would – Wood
- You’r – Your
Homographs List | Homonyms List
List of homonyms in English.
- Address – Address
- Band – Band
- Bat – Bat
- Match – Match
- Mean – Mean
- Right – Right
- Ring – Ring
- Rock – Rock
- Rose – Rose
- Spring – Spring
- Stalk – Stalk
- Well – Well
- Clip – Clip
- Date – Date.
- Drop – Drop
- Fly – Fly
- Letter – Letter
- Palm – Palm
- Park – Park
- Point – Point
- Ruler – Ruler
- Saw – Saw
- Scale – Scale
- Ship – Ship
- Sink – Sink
- Tie – Tie
- Trip – Trip
- Wave – Wave
- Cool – Cool
- Duck – Duck
- Fall – Fall
- File – File
- Foot – Foot
- Left – Left
- Nail – Nail
- Watch – Watch
- Can – Can
Homonyms List | Homonyms Examples | Images
List of Homonyms | Homonyms List in English | Image
Homonyms Examples | Homonyms List | Image 1
Homonyms Examples | Homonyms List | Image 2
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