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Homonyms
What Are Homonyms? (with Examples)
Homonyms are words with the same pronunciation or the same spelling. For example:- Same pronunciation: "maid" and "made"
- Same spelling: "lead" (as in a lead weight) and "lead" (as in to lead a team)
Therefore, it is possible for a homonym to be a homophone (same sound) and a homograph (same spelling), e.g., "vampire bat" and "cricket bat".
Table of Contents
- Examples of Homonyms
- More about Homographs, Heteronyms, and Homophones
- Homonyms in Jokes
- Homophones in Business Names
- Homophones That Cause Writing Mistakes
- Why Homonyms Are Important
- Printable Test

Examples of Homonyms
- pike (the fish) and pike (the weapon) (These homonyms are homographs - they have the same spelling.)
- bear (the animal) and bare (no clothes) (These homonyms are homophones - they have different spellings but the same sound.)
- site (a location), sight (vision), and cite (to quote) (These homonyms are homophones.)
More about Homographs, Heteronyms, and Homophones
Here are some more examples of homographs (including heteronyms and non-heteronyms) and homophones:Homographs. These are words with the same spelling but different meanings. When homographs have different sounds, they are known as "heteronyms."
- lead (the metal) and lead (which attaches to a dog's collar) (These homographs are heteronyms.)
- tear (water drop from the eye) and tear (a rip) (These homographs are heteronyms.)
- pike (weapon) and pike (fish) (These homographs are not heteronyms - they are pronounced the same.)
- lie (an untruth) and lie (to lie down) (These homographs are not heteronyms - they are pronounced the same.)
- place (location) and plaice (the fish)
- pear (fruit) and pair (a couple)
- see (to see) and sea (ocean)
Homonyms in Jokes
Homonyms, especially homographs, are common in jokes:- Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. (Comedian Groucho Marx) (flies = means to fly and then flying insects)
(like = means as though and then to like)
- "I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence? (Comedian George Carlin) (sentence = means grammatical sentence and then prison sentence)
- The man whose whole left side was cut off is all right now. (Often in jokes, only one of the homonyms is present. Read about the difference between alright and all right.)
Homophones in Business Names
Homophones are common in pun-style business names:- John's Plaice. (Fish-and-chip shop)
- Our Soles (Supplier of non-slip work boots)
- Curl Up and Dye (Hair salon)
Homophones That Cause Writing Mistakes
Unfortunately, homophones (and words that are very nearly homophones) are often responsible for writing mistakes:- His idea is starting to bare fruit.
- The hat compliments your eyes.
(Reason 1) Homonyms are a common cause of spelling mistakes.
Homonyms (like "course" and "coarse") and near homonyms (like "affect" and "effect") are often responsible for writing errors. Recognizing this will lower your threshold to reach for a dictionary or Google to check which of the homophones you should be using.This list of easily confused words includes lessons and tests on over two hundred homonyms and near homonyms that routinely cause problems for writers.
(Reason 2) Puns can be memorable.
Using a homonym in a title can make it edgy and memorable.- Doggie styles (Dog-grooming salon)
- If you know a word can be spelt different ways (e.g., their, there, they're), make sure you're using the right version before moving on.
- A clever pun in a title can make the title memorable.
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