Homophones & Homonyms

• Homonym: One of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning (as cleave meaning "to cut" and cleave meaning "to adhere" (coincidentally, also antonyms!))
• Homophone: One of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or spelling (as the words to, too, and two)
• Homograph: One of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or pronunciation (as the bow of a ship, a bow and arrow)

A

	a	very short little insignificant English word
	eh	an interrogative utterance
	acts	things done
	ax	chopping tool
	ad	short for advertisement
	add	short for addition
	adds	performs additions
	ads	more than one advertisement
	adze	axe-like tool
	ade	fruit beverage
	aid	to assist
	aide	an assistant
	aerie	eagle's nest
	airy	breezy
	aero	of aircraft
	arrow	slender, pointed shaft

	affect	to change
	effect	result
	ail	sick
	ale	beer

	air	stuff we breathe
	are	1/100th of a hectare
	e'er	contraction of "ever"
	ere	eventually
	err	to make a mistake
	heir	one who will inherit

	aisle	walkway
	I'll	contraction of "I will"
	isle	island
	all	everything
	awl	pointed scriber
	allowed	permitted
	aloud	spoken
	altar	raised center of worship
	alter	to change
	an	a single instance
	Ann	a woman's name
	ant	insect
	aunt	parent's sister
	ante	preliminary bet
	auntie	sister of a parent
	arc	portion of a circle
	ark	vessel
	ascent	the climb
	assent	to agree

	ate	past tense of eat
	eight	the number base of octal
	auger	a drill
	augur	foretell

	aught	anything
	ought	should

	aural	of hearing
	oral	of the mouth

	auricle	external part of the ear
	oracle	seer
	away	distant
	aweigh	just clear of the bottom

	awed	in a state of wonder
	odd	not usual

	aweful	filled with awe
	awful	really bad
	offal	butchered entrails

	aye	naval affirmative
	eye	ocular organ
	I	oneself

B

	bail	bucket handle
	bale	bundle of hay
	bailed	pumping water out of a boat
	baled	to gather into a bale
	bailee	a person to whom goods are committed for custody or repair
	bailey	the outer wall of a castle
	bailie	a municipal officer in Scotland
	bailer	one who bails (water)
	bailor	a person that entrusts goods to a bailee
	baler	one who bales (hay)
	bailing	pumping water out of a boat
	baling	wire used to tie bales
	bait	to torment
	bate	to lessen
	baited	past tense of bait
	bated	past tense of bate
	baiting	tormenting
	bating	lessening
	baize	green felt
	bays	one or more enclosed arms of the ocean
	beys	one or more Turkish officials
	bald	hairless
	balled	carnal knowledge
	bawled	cried aloud
	ball	playful orb
	bawl	to cry
	band	a group
	banned	forbidden
	bard	a poet
	barred	enclosed by poles
	bare	naked
	bear	wild ursine
	bark	outer sheath of a tree
	barque	square-rigged sailing ship
	baron	minor royalty
	barren	unable to bear children
	Barry	a man's name
	berry	small fruit
	bury	to take under
	basal	forming the base
	basil	an herb
	base	the bottom support for anything
	bass	the lowest musical pitch or range
	based	supported
	baste	to swab with liquid during cooking
	bases	what baseball players like to steal
	basis	principal constituent of anything
	basses	many four-stringed guitars
	bask	to warm oneself pleasantly
	basque	tightfitting bodice or tunic (or, people of the Pyrenees)
	bat	a blind, flying rodent
	batt	a flat pad
	baud	bits per second
	bawd	brothel manager
	bay	an enclosed arm of the ocean
	bey	a Turkish official
	be	to exist
	bee	pollinating buzzer
	beach	where i want to be
	beech	a type of tree
	bean	a legume
	been	past tense of be
	beat	to hit
	beet	edible red root
	beau	male friend
	bow	a curve or bend; double-slipped reef knot
	beaut	slang for beauty, beautiful
	butte	steep sided hill
	been	past tense of be
	bin	a box or container
	beer	universally brewed comfort food
	bier	a temporary frame for a coffin
	bel	indian thorn tree
	Bel	Babylonian god
	bell	ding ding
	belle	beautiful woman
	berth	anchorage
	birth	your method of arrival
	besot	to get drunk
	besought	past tense of beseech
	better	superior
	bettor	one who bets
	bight	middle of a rope
	bite	a mouthful
	byte	eight bits
	billed	has a bill
	build	to construct
	bit	past tense of bite
	bitt	large cleat for tying up ships
	blew	past tense of blow
	blue	color of California sky
	bloc	an alliance
	block	square object
	boar	wild pig
	Boer	a South African of Dutch descent
	boor	tasteless buffoon
	bore	not interesting
	board	a plank
	bored	not interested
	boarder	lodger who gets meals, too
	border	perimeter
	bode	an omen
	bowed	curved
	bold	brave
	bowled	knocked over
	bolder	more courageous
	boulder	large rock
	bole	trunk
	boll	round seed pod
	bowl	dish
	boos	disparaging sounds from fans
	booze	whiskey
	born	brought into life
	borne	past participle of bear
	bourn	a small stream or boundary
	borough	township
	burrow	dig into the ground
	bough	tree branch
	bow	front of a ship; respectful bend
	bouy	navigational aid
	boy	male child
	bra	brassiere
	braw	well-groomed
	braid	a weave of three strands
	brayed	a donkey cried
	braise	cook with oil and water
	brays	loud, harsh cry
	brake	stopping device
	break	to split apart
	breach	to break through
	breech	the back part
	bread	a loaf
	bred	past tense of breed
	brewed	fermented
	brood	family
	brews	more than one beer
	bruise	a contusion
	bridal	pertaining to brides
	bridle	horse's headgear
	broach	to raise a subject
	brooch	an ornament fastened to clothes
	brows	multiple foreheads
	browse	grazing
	bundt	type of cake
	bunt	hit a pitch without swinging
	burger	meat sandwich
	burgher	merchant
	bus	large multi-passenger vehicle
	buss	a kiss
	bussed	kissed
	bust	head and shoulders sculpture
	but	excepting
	butt	the thick end
	buy	to purchase
	by	near
	bye	farewell
	buyer	one who purchases
	byre	a cow barn

C

	cache	hidden storage
	cash	legal tender
	cached	hidden away
	cashed	converted to legal tender
	calendar	chart of days
	calender	paper press
	call	to summon
	caul	amnionic membrane
	col	a mountain pass
	caller	one who calls
	collar	my cat has collar ID
	can't	contraction of "can not"
	cant	a bevel
	cannon	big gun
	canon	body of law
	canter	a moderate gallop
	cantor	singer
	canvas	rough cloth
	canvass	to examine thoroughly
	capital	most important
	capitol	center of government

	carat	unit of weight for precious stones, equal to 200 milligrams
	caret	proofreader's insertion mark
	carrot	edible orange root
	karat	one 24th part of otherwise pure gold
	carol	Christmas song
	carrel	study enclosure
	carpal	a bone of the carpus
	carpel	a pistil
	cast	to throw
	caste	a social class
	caster	one who throws
	castor	beaver's smelly gland
	cause	generative force
	caws	sounds of crows

	cay	a low island
	key	opens locks
	quay	a wharf

	cedar	an evergreen tree
	seeder	one who broadcasts seeds

	cede	to give
	seed	part of a plant from which a new one grows

	ceding	giving
	seeding	planting

	ceiling	top of the room
	sealing	to close a package or envelope

	cell	a small room
	sell	to exchange for money

	cellar	under a house
	seller	one who sells

	censer	incense dish
	censor	bad people who fear knowledge
	sensor	a device which detects

	census	numbering
	senses	faculties

	cent	one hundredth of a dollar
	scent	an aroma
	sent	dispatched

	cents	hundredths of a dollar
	scents	many things to smell
	sense	detection equipment

	cere	waxy fleshy covering at the base of the upper beak in some birds
	sear	to scorch
	seer	a prophet
	sere	natural succession of plant or animal communities

	cereal	grains
	serial	numbers in sequence

	Ceres	Roman Goddess of agriculture
	series	a sequence of things

	cession	giving up
	session	a group sitting
	chalk	calcareous earthy substance
	chock	wedge to keep wheels from rolling
	chance	happenstance
	chants	more than one litany
	chard	spinach-like vegetable
	charred	burnt
	chased	quickly followed
	chaste	virginal
	check	a tic mark
	Czech	from Czechoslovakia
	chews	masticating
	choose	to select
	Chile	a South American country
	chili	dried pod of red pepper
	chilly	uncomfortably cool

	choir	church singers
	quire	the twentieth part of a ream of paper
	choler	yellow bile
	collar	around your neck
	choral	by a chorus
	coral	marine polyp skeleton
	chorale	a choir
	corral	a pen for horses
	chord	three tones in harmony
	cord	very light rope
	cored	divested of its central part

	chute	inclined trough
	shoot	to project an object

	cite	to refer to
	sight	vision
	site	a location

	cited	referenced
	sighted	visually identified
	sited	located

	cites	past tense of cite
	sights	tourist rationale
	sites	more than one location
	clack	a chattering sound
	claque	a group hired to applaud, sycophants
	Claus	fat, jolly guy with presents
	clause	contractual unit
	claws	big fingernails
	clew	sheet cringle on a sail
	clue	a hint
	click	ticking noise
	clique	exclusive group
	climb	ascending
	clime	climate
	close	to shut
	clothes	garments
	coal	black mineral
	cole	plants in the crucifer family
	coaled	supplied with coal
	cold	not supplied with coal
	coarse	rough
	course	path of travel
	coat	wear it for warmth
	cote	small animal shed
	coax	persuade
	cokes	more than one soft drink
	cocks	more than one male bird
	cox	a coxswain
	Cox	a variety of eating apple
	coddling	tenderly treating
	codling	small, unripe apple
	coffer	a strongbox; decorative, sunken ceiling panels
	cougher	one who coughs

	coin	money
	quoin	corner stone

	colonel	military officer
	kernel	seed
	complacence	self-satisfaction
	complaisance	willingness to please
	complacent	self-satified
	complaisant	willing to please
	complement	allotment
	compliment	encomium
	conch	marine mollusk
	conk	blow to the head
	coo	a soft murmuring sound
	coup	a successful stroke
	copes	gets along with adversity
	copse	a stand of trees
	copped	swiped
	copt	a native Egyptian to a Roman
	cops	police officers
	copse	a small wood
	core	inner part
	corps	body
	cosign	to sign in addition
	cosine	sine of the complement
	council	group of leaders
	counsel	advisor

	craft	a manual occupation
	kraft	a strong paper made from wood pulp

	crater	impact hole
	krater	ancient Greek jar
	Crays	more than one supercomputer
	craze	sensation needed to buy more than one supercomputer
	creak	to squeak
	creek	small stream
	crewed	served by a crew
	crude	coarse
	crewel	embroidery yarn
	cruel	merciless
	crews	more than one crew
	cruise	a sea journey

	cue	a signal
	Kew	home of the famous English gardens
	queue	a waiting line (another famous English-ism)
	currant	small berry
	current	of the present
	curser	one who swears
	cursor	on-screen positional indicator

	cygnet	a young swan
	signet	an authenticating seal

	cymbal	percussive brass dish
	symbol	a representation

D

	dam	holds back water
	damn	a curse
	dammed	prevented from flowing
	damned	cursed
	darn	to mend
	darne	a fish steak
	days	more than one day
	daze	to bewilder
	dear	beloved
	deer	Bambi
	dew	morning condensation
	do	to perform
	due	payable
	die	to become dead
	dye	coloring agent
	died	passed away
	dyed	colored
	dies	passing away
	dyes	colors
	dine	to eat
	dyne	unit of energy
	dire	desperate
	dyer	one who dyes
	disc	a phonograph record
	disk	a round, plate-shaped object
	discreet	confidential
	discrete	individual
	discussed	talked about
	disgust	sickening
	do	first note of diatonic scale
	doe	a female deer
	dough	uncooked bread
	doc	a physician
	dock	where a boat is kept
	does	several female deer
	doughs	several uncooked breads
	doze	to nap
	done	completed
	dun	demand money
	dos	opposite of don'ts
	dues	membership payments
	draft	a preliminary written version
	draught	a gust of wind; depth of water needed to float a ship
	dual	two things
	duel	a fight between two over honor

E

	e'er,	see: air
	earl	British nobleman
	URL	Internet address

	earn	to come to deserve
	urn	a jar

	elicit	to draw out
	illicit	unlawful

	elude	to escape from
	illude	to deceive
	epic	a narrative poem or story
	epoch	a noteworthy period in history

	eunuchs	men unable to serve all of humanity
	Unix	operating system unable to serve all of humanity

	ewe	female sheep
	yew	a type of tree
	you	the second person

	ewes	more than one female sheep
	use	to apply
	yews	more than one yew tree

	eyelet	small hole for laces
	islet	small island

F

	facts	objective things
	fax	obsolete, but widespread, image transmission technology
	fain	willing
	feign	pretend to be affected
	faint	pass out
	feint	a weak, misdirected attack to confuse the enemy
	fair	even-handed
	fare	payment
	fairing	streamlining
	faring	the state of progress
	fairy	imaginary magic person
	ferry	river-crossing boat
	faker	a deceiver
	fakir	a Hindu ascetic

	farrow	a litter of pigs
	pharoah	Egyptian king
	faux	fake
	foe	enemy
	fay	a fairy
	Faye	a woman's name
	fey	strange and otherwordly
	fays	more than one fairy
	faze	to disconcert

	faze	to stun
	phase	a part of the sequence

	fazed	stunned
	phased	done in sequential parts
	feat	an accomplishment
	feet	look down
	ferrate	a salt containing iron and oxygen
	ferret	a domesticated polecat
	feted	celebrated
	fetid	stinking

	few	not many
	phew	expression of relief

	file	a folder for holding papers
	phial	a small glass bottle
	fills	plural of fill
	fils	one one-thousandth of an Iraqi dinar

	filter	keep the bad stuff from passing through
	philter	a love potion
	find	to locate
	fined	to have to pay a parking ticket
	finish	to complete
	Finnish	from Finland
	fir	evergreen tree
	fur	animal hair
	furr	to separate with strips of wood
	fisher	one who fishes
	fissure	a crack
	flair	verve
	flare	to spread
	flea	parasitic insect
	flee	to run away
	flecks	many tiny specks
	flex	to bend
	flew	past tense of fly
	flu	short for influenza
	flue	chimney pipe
	Flo	a girl's name
	floe	sheet of floating ice
	flow	to glide along

	flocks	more than one group of birds
	phlox	a scented plant
	floes	sheets of floating ice
	flows	glides along
	floor	what one walks on
	fluor	something that glows
	flour	powdered grain
	flower	a bloom
	for	in place of
	fore	in front
	four	number after three
	forego	to precede
	forgo	to abstain from
	foreword	introduction to a book
	forward	the facing direction
	fort	a fortification
	forte	a person's strong point
	forth	a direction
	fourth	following the third
	foul	grossly offensive to the senses
	fowl	domestic hen or rooster
	frees	releasing
	freeze	very cold
	frieze	a wall decoration
	friar	a monk
	fryer	small chicken

G

	gaff	a barbed spear
	gaffe	a mistake
	gage	a pledge or security deposit
	gauge	instrument for measuring
	gait	a manner of walking or running
	gate	fence door
	gaited	describing a walking horse
	gated	having a gate
	galley	ship's kitchen
	gally	to frighten or terrify
	gallop	horse's fastest gait
	galop	a round dance
	gays	a frisky gathering
	gaze	a languid look

	gene	a chromosome
	jean	cotton twill
	gild	to coat with gold
	gilled	having gills
	guild	a craft society
	gilt	gold-plated
	guilt	culpable

	gin	alcoholic beverage
	jinn	plural of jinni, a Muslim spirit or demon

	gnawed	chewed
	nod	head tilting

	gneiss	coarse-grained metamorphic rock of feldspar, quartz and mica
	nice	pleasant

	gnu	African antelope
	knew	past tense of know
	new	not old

	gnus	several antelope
	news	timely information
	gored	pierced by an animal's horns
	gourd	fleshy fruit with hard skin
	gorilla	large ape
	guerrilla	irregular soldier
	grade	a slope
	grayed	turned gray
	graft	to attach
	graphed	plotted
	grate	a lattice
	great	extremely good
	grays	more than one shade of black
	graze	to eat grass while wandering
	grease	lubricant
	Greece	Mediterranean country
	greave	leg armor
	grieve	to mourn
	greaves	more than one greave
	grieves	to mourn
	grill	to sear cook
	grille	an iron gate or door
	groan	reaction to hearing a pun
	grown	has gotten larger
	guessed	past tense of guess
	guest	a visitor
	guide	one who shows the way
	guyed	secured with a rope or wire
	guise	appearance
	guys	Garrison Keillor's obsession
	gunnel	small, eel-shaped marine fish; butterfish
	gunwale	upper part of sides of a boat

	gym	sports room
	Jim	nickname for James

H

	hail	frozen rain
	hale	robust health
	hair	grows from your head
	hare	rabbit
	hairy	having much hair
	Harry	a man's name
	harry	to harass or hunt
	hall	a large room
	haul	to carry
	halve	break in two
	have	to hold in possession
	halves	more than one half
	haves	those who possess
	hammock	rope bed
	hummock	low, rounded hill
	hangar	garage for airplanes
	hanger	from which things hang
	Harold	a man's name
	herald	a horn blower
	hart	a stag
	heart	blood pump
	haut	high, as in "haut couture"
	ho	an expression of admiration or surprise
	hoe	garden tool
	hay	grass
	hey	a shout
	hays	more than one type of hay
	haze	atmospheric obscuration due to water or dust
	he'd	contraction of "he would"
	heed	to pay attention
	he'll	contraction of "he will"
	heal	to make well
	he'll	contraction of "he will"
	hill	smaller than a mountain
	heal	to cure of disease
	heel	hind part of foot
	hear	to listen
	here	at this location
	heard	listened to
	herd	a group of ruminants
	heigh	an exclamation
	hi	a greeting
	hie	to go quickly
	high	way up

	heroin	narcotic
	heroine	female hero
	hew	to chop
	hue	a color
	Hugh	a man's name
	hide	animal skin
	hied	hurried
	higher	farther up
	hire	to employ
	him	pronoun
	hymn	religious song

	hoar	a white frost
	whore	a prostitute

	hoard	a great stash
	horde	a great many people
	whored	prostituted
	hoarse	rough voice
	horse	equine
	hoes	more than one garden weeding tool
	hose	tube for watering garden weeds
	hold	to grip
	holed	full of holes

	hole	round opening
	whole	entirety

	holey	perforated
	holy	with religious significance
	wholly	completely
	hostel	inexpensive lodging for travelers
	hostile	unfriendly

	hour	sixty minutes
	our	possessed by us

	hours	time measurement
	ours	belonging to us
	humerus	funny bone
	humorous	funny

I

	I'll,	see: aisle
	idle	not working
	idol	object of worship
	idyl	paradise

	in	expressing inclusion
	inn	hotel
	inc	short for incorporated
	ink	writing fluid
	incite	to provoke
	insight	understanding
	innocence	a state without guilt
	innocents	more than one innocent
	inns	hotels
	ins	those on the inside

	it's	contraction of "it is"
	its	possessive pronoun

J

	jam	to smash together
	jamb	side post of a doorway

	jewel	precious stone
	joule	unit of energy measure

	juggler	one who juggles
	jugular	artery to head

K

	knap	crest of a hill; break with a hammer
	nap	a short sleep

	knead	working bread dough
	need	must have

	knickers	woman's underwear
	nickers	those who nick

	knight	chivalrous man
	night	darkness

	knit	interlocking loops of yarn
	nit	louse egg

	knits	verb form of knit
	nits	louse eggs

	knob	handle
	nob	rich person

	knock	to rap
	nock	a notch in an arrow

	knot	fastening in cord
	naught	nothing
	not	negation

	know	to possess knowledge
	no	negation

	knows	"Only the shadow knows..."
	noes	"The noes have it..."
	nose	"Plain as the nose on your face..."

L

	lacks	does not have
	lax	loose discipline
	lain	past tense of lay
	lane	narrow road
	lam	headlong flight
	lamb	baby sheep
	lay	to recline
	lei	a flower necklace
	lays	to recline
	laze	to recline with extreme prejudice
	leis	several flower necklaces
	lea	a meadow
	lee	downwind
	li	about one-third of a mile in China
	leach	washing action
	leech	sucking parasite
	lead	heavy metal
	led	guided
	leak	accidental escape of liquid
	leek	variety of onion
	lean	angle of repose
	lien	a claim on property
	leas	more than one meadow
	lees	the dregs
	leased	rented
	least	the minimum
	lends	allows to borrow
	lens	convex glass
	lessen	to reduce
	lesson	a segment of learning
	liar	tells falsehoods
	lyre	stringed instrument
	lichen	a fungus among us
	liken	to compare
	lie	an untruth
	lye	a caustic
	lieu	instead
	loo	British toilet
	Lou	short for Louis
	lightening	removing weight or darkness
	lightning	static electricity from the sky
	limb	tree branch
	limn	delineate
	limbs	arms or legs
	limns	to illuminate, as in a manuscript
	links	pieces of chain
	lynx	feral cat
	literal	taking words in their primary sense
	littoral	having to do with the shore
	lo	interjection
	low	not high
	load	cargo
	lode	mineral vein
	load	what is carried
	lowed	a cow mooed
	loan	allow to borrow
	lone	by itself
	loch	a lake
	lock	a security device
	lochs	more than one lake
	locks	more than one security device
	lox	salmon jerky
	loon	a water fowl
	lune	a crescent shape
	loop	a circular pattern
	loupe	a jeweler's monocular magnifier
	loos	several British toilets
	lose	fail to win
	loot	ill-gotten gains
	lute	stringed instrument
	lumbar	lower back
	lumber	dimensional wood

M

	mach	speed of sound
	mock	parody
	made	accomplished
	maid	young woman
	mail	postal delivery
	male	masculine person
	main	primary
	mane	back hair
	maize	corn
	maze	puzzle
	mall	hallway
	maul	shred
	moll	gangster's girlfriend
	manner	method
	manor	lord's house
	marc	coarse brandy
	mark	a sign
	marque	a license to privateer; a brand
	marquee	a rooflike projection over a theatre entrance
	marquis	a nobleman ranking between a duke and a count
	marry	to join in matrimony
	merry	happy
	marshal	to gather
	martial	warlike
	massed	grouped together
	mast	sail pole
	Mays	several spring months
	maze	a labyrinth
	me	myself
	mi	musical note
	mean	average
	mein	manner
	meat	animal flesh
	meet	to connect
	mete	a boundary
	medal	an award
	meddle	to interfere
	men's	owned by males
	mends	to repair
	metal	ductile element
	mettle	moxie
	mewl	to whimper
	mule	offspring of female horse and male donkey
	mews	stables
	muse	creative inspiration
	might	possible
	mite	tiny creature
	mince	chop finely
	mints	aromatic candies
	mind	thinking unit
	mined	looked for ore
	miner	one who digs
	minor	small
	missal	hymn book
	missile	projectile
	missed	not hit
	mist	fog
	misses	young ladies
	Mrs.	married lady
	moan	to groan
	mown	the lawn is freshly cut
	moat	water around a castle
	mote	a speck
	mode	condition
	mowed	a lawn in a well-trimmed condition
	moiré	optical illusion
	moray	eel
	mood	emotional state
	mooed	what the loquacious cow did
	moor	swampy coastland; to anchor
	more	additional
	moose	a large elk
	mousse	dessert of whipped cream and eggs
	moral	a social imperative
	morel	a mushroom
	morn	AM
	mourn	remember the dead
	morning	AM
	mourning	remembering the dead
	muscle	fibrous, contracting tissue
	mussel	a bivalve mollusc
	muscles	more than one muscle
	mussels	more than one mussel
	mussed	made messy
	must	required
	mustard	spicy yellow sauce
	mustered	assembled for roll call