City of Largo, Florida

Homophones (Homonyms)

Preface:

This is an evolving project; and my primary contribution to it has been as an editor, not its author. It was originally assembled from various internet entries, which were, however, extensively altered. A great deal of effort went into correcting punctuation, grammar, spelling inaccuracies, general inconsistencies, etc., and putting this into some sort of usable form. Although I'm certain not all of the errors have been removed and additional mistakes will be found. Quite a few new entries were composed, and various others deleted or phrased differently in order to avoid undue offense or confusion, but I'm also sure that many could be added.

It is, essentially, a work in progress.

I mention all of this for several reasons:

1) This is meant as an instructional aid for ESL tutors, not to be reproduced on a larger scale or used for personal gain. (I certainly don't care, but some of the original contributors hypothetically might.) However, there should be no problem running copies for educational purposes.

2) Please don't hold me personally accountable for every error you come across (you've no idea how much of this I've already corrected). Instead, feel free to make corrections to this document yourselves. Which pretty much gets us around to...

3) Since this is an ongoing project, you should also feel free to make general contributions. Additional entries are welcome. We have a complex, changing language; this small effort obviously isn't the last word on anything.

Finally, I hope this is of some help to you. I've primarily used it for a more advanced student, giving out and explaining three or four of these entries a week (fixing and changing them as I went along -- until now); but there are probably other applications.

All the best,

Fellow ESL tutor

affect - effect

affect - verb -> to change or influence something or someone
She wanted to affect the students in a way they'd never forget.

effect - noun -> the result of a change or influence
The effect of the performance was stunning.

aisle - isle

aisle - noun -> the walkway, as in a theater
I quickly walked down the aisle and took my seat.

isle - noun -> island
He grew up on the isle of Elba.

allowed - aloud

allowed - past tense of the verb 'to allow' -> to permit
His mother allowed him to stay up late on Saturday.

aloud - adverb -> using the voice, not silently
She read the story aloud.

ate - eight

ate - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to eat'
She ate a quick lunch and returned to work.

eight - noun -> the number 8
I bought eight tickets to the concert.

ball - bawl

ball - noun -> a round object used in games and sports
He took a ball to the beach to play with the children.

bawl - verb -> to cry (usually very hard)
Please don't bawl! It's not that bad.

bear - bare

bear - noun -> a large omnivorous animal
We were attacked by a bear.

bear - verb -> to stand something
He can't bear exams.

bare - adjective -> naked, without clothing
He stood outside in the rain, completely bare.

base - bass

base - noun -> the bottom support of something
I think we need a new base for that lamp.

bass - noun -> the lowest pitches in music, singer of the lowest pitches
I sang bass in the church choir.

<NOTE: The word 'bass' meaning a type of fish is pronounced differently.>

billed - build

billed - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to bill'
She billed the clients for $4,000.

build - verb -> to construct
They build houses in Portland, Oregon.

blew - blue

blew - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to blow'
She blew a lot of bubbles at her birthday party.

blue - adjective -> a color
Her house is painted blue.

board - bored

board - noun -> a plank of wood
I used a board to cover the window.

bored - adjective -> not interested
He was bored by the meeting.

break - brake

break - verb -> to damage something
Unfortunately, I often break my toys!

brake - noun -> stopping device on a vehicle
He used the brake to stop quickly.

buy - by - bye

buy - verb -> to purchase
Do they often buy clothes in that shop?

by - preposition -> often used to express the agent in a passive sentence
The song was written by Hammersmith.

bye - noun -> farewell
Bye! I'll see you tomorrow.

capital - capitol

capital - noun -> A town or city that is head of government
Olympia is the capital of Washington state.

capitol - noun -> A building where the government meets
The capitol is a beautiful building.

cell - sell

cell - noun -> 1) a small room, as in a prison; 2) a small, discrete unit, as in biology or computers
1) There are two prisoners per cell in that jail. 2) The cell is the smallest functioning part of an organism.

sell - verb -> to provide for sale
They sell books and magazines.

cent - scent - sent

cent - noun -> 1/100 of a dollar
One cent isn't worth very much.

scent - noun -> an aroma
The scent in the air is fabulous!

sent - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to send'
I sent you some pictures last week.

chance - chants

chance - noun -> not on purpose
I saw Mary by chance in California.

chants - noun (plural) -> simple song or melody
We did some grammar chants in class last week.

chews - choose

chews - verb -> third person present singular of the verb 'to chew'
My daughter chews her food well.

choose - verb -> to make a decision from amongst more than one
OK, I choose the red one.

close - clothes

close - verb -> to shut
Please close the door when you come in.

clothes - noun -> articles of clothing
He put on his clothes and left for work.

coarse - course

coarse - adjective -> rough, not smooth
The fabric is rather coarse.

course - noun -> a class in which a subject is studied
The English course will begin next week.

creak - creek

creak - verb -> to squeak (make a high-pitched sound)
The doors in the house all creak.

creek - noun -> small stream
The creek winds through a beautiful valley.

days - daze

days - noun -> plural of 'day'
I work five days a week.

daze - noun -> confused state
He walks around in a daze.

dear - deer

dear - adjective -> beloved, often used to begin a letter
My dear Richard, you just don't understand!

deer - noun -> an animal (Bambi - irregular plural: deer)
We saw three deer on our hike in the mountains.

dew - do - due

dew - noun -> light water condensation usually found in the morning
The grass was covered with dew.

do - verb -> to perform
They usually do their homework immediately after school.

due - adjective -> payable
The full payment is due by the end of the month.

facts - fax

facts - noun -> things objectively considered 'true'
The facts pointed to Mr. Smith as the criminal.

fax - noun -> a document transmitted via telephone
I sent a fax to the office in Chicago.

fair - fare

fair - adjective -> 1) light skinned, of light complexion; 2) just, reasonable; 3) merely adequate
1) She is fair with long blond hair. 2) That rule isn't fair. 3) The service was only fair.

fare - noun -> cost of ticket (generally travel)
I paid fifteen dollars for the fare.

fairy - ferry

fairy - noun -> a magic person or being
The tooth fairy brings $1 for each tooth.

ferry - noun -> a boat that transports cars and other vehicles
We took the ferry to Sardinia last summer.

find - fined

find - verb -> to discover
I often find coins at the beach.

fined - adjective -> charged a penalty
He was fined $50 for illegal parking.

flour - flower

flour - noun -> powdered grain used for cooking
I want to make some cookies. Could you pick up a bag of flour at the supermarket?

flower - noun -> beautiful blooming part of a plant
That flower is lovely!

for - four

for - preposition
I bought these for you.

four - noun -> the number 4
She wants to bring four friends with her to the party.

foreword - forward

foreword - noun -> introduction to a book
Timothy Leary wrote the foreword to Ken's book.

forward - adjective -> advancing
We moved forward in the line.

gene - jean

gene - noun -> a part of a chromosome
That gene is responsible for the birth defect.

jean - noun -> a type of denim fabric (usually plural, referring to pants made from this fabric)
She bought a faded jean jacket to go with her old jeans .

grease - Greece

grease - noun -> lubricant, fat
He put some grease on the wheel.

Greece - proper noun -> the country
Greece is considered the birthplace of western philosophy.

groan - grown

groan - noun -> low sound expressing displeasure
Students often groan when I announce a test.

grown - verb -> past participle of the verb 'to grow'
My daughter has grown quite a bit this year.

hair - hare

hair - noun -> the collective strands on your head
She has long brown hair.

hare - noun -> similar to a rabbit
He shot a hare while in the field.

hay - hey

hay - noun -> dried grass often used as food for cattle, horses, etc.
We spent last week collecting hay from the fields.

hey - expression -> shout
Hey! Watch out!

heal - heel

heal - verb -> to cure a disease
Doctors heal thousands of patients each year.

heel - noun -> the back part of the foot or shoe
I hurt my heel playing tennis.

hear - here

hear - verb -> to listen
Did you hear what he said?

here - adverb -> at this place
She will be here tomorrow.

hi - high

hi - salutation -> Hello
Hi! How are you today?

high - adjective -> tall, far up, lofty
Mount Rainier is extremely high.

hoarse - horse

hoarse - adjective -> rough voice
Your voice is hoarse. Do you have a cold?

horse - noun -> animal
Cowboy Tom had a horse named Joe.

hole - whole

hole - noun -> an opening
There's a hole in the bucket, so the water leaks out.

whole - adjective -> entire
He ate the whole pie!

hour - our

hour - noun -> sixty minutes
It took one hour to finish the exercise.

our - possessive adjective -> belonging to us
That's our house on the corner.

knight - night

knight - noun -> warrior from the middle ages
Lancelot was a knight of the round table.

night - noun -> evening to early morning, opposite of day
I went to bed late last night.

knot - naught - not

knot - noun -> an interlaced arrangement of cord or line; a fastening made in this way
He tied a knot to secure the rope.

naught - noun -> nothing
His efforts came to naught.

not - adverb -> in no way
It's not her fault.

know - no

know - verb -> to have knowledge
They didn't know where she had studied.

no - adverb -> expresses refusal
No! I don't want to come!

leased - least

leased - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to lease'; to rent
They leased the office for three months.

least - superlative adjective -> the minimum
She was the least successful of the candidates.

loan - lone

loan - verb -> to allow someone to borrow
Can you loan me some money until tomorrow?

lone - adjective -> the only one
She is the lone person who speaks French.

made - maid

made - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to make'
She made me a cup of tea.

maid - noun -> 1) female domestic help; 2) an unmarried girl (not in common use)
1) The maid cleaned the room. 2) Maid Marian likes Robin Hood, but wouldn't marry him

mail - male

mail - noun -> post
I got a lot of mail today.

male - adjective -> masculine gender; opposite of female
The boy's mother thought he needed a male role model.

marry - merry

marry - verb -> to join in matrimony
Is a pastor going to marry them?

merry - adjective -> happy
We had a merry time at the pub.

meat - meet

meat - noun -> animal flesh
I'm a vegetarian, so I don't eat meat.

meet - verb -> to come together; to be introduced
Let's meet next week at the pub. There's a woman I'd like you to meet.

mince - mints

mince - verb -> to chop finely
Can you mince that parsley?

mints - noun plural -> type of sweet
I enjoy After Eight mints.

missed - mist

missed - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to miss'
I missed the airplane and had to book another flight.

mist - noun -> light fog
Ireland is famous for mist.

morning - mourning

morning - noun -> the part of the day before noon
Let's meet tomorrow morning at nine.

mourning - noun -> to grieve for the dead
Their mother passed away, so the whole family's in mourning.

none - nun

none - pronoun -> not any
None of the students came to the party.

nun - noun -> woman who devotes herself to a religious order, esp. Catholic
The nun helped the children learn their catechism.

one - won

one - noun -> the number 1
Only one man came to the presentation.

won - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to win'
I won a prize at the competition.

pail - pale

pail - noun -> bucket
Use that pail to bring the water.

pale - adjective -> light colored
She looks rather pale since she's been ill.

pear - pair

pear - noun -> a type of fruit
She ate a pear for lunch.

pair - noun -> two (usually matching)
I bought a new pair of shoes last weekend.

patience - patients

patience - noun -> quality of being willing to wait
Success requires a lot of patience.

patients - noun (plural) -> persons treated in a hospital or by a doctor
There are too many patients waiting in the emergency room.

piece - peace

piece - noun -> part of something
I had a piece of pie for dessert.

peace - noun -> tranquility, calm, the opposite of war
We all hope to live in peace.

plain - plane

plain - adjective -> not fancy
The food was rather plain in England.

plane - noun -> short for 'airplane'
The plane took off at six in the morning.

rain - reign

rain - noun -> precipitation
I can't stand rain! I prefer sunny weather.

reign - noun -> period of rule
Queen Elizabeth the Second's reign continues to this day.

read - red

read - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to read'
I read three chapters of the novel last night.

red - noun, adj.-> the color
Her lips were as red as cherries.

right - write

right - adjective -> correct
That answer is right!

write - verb -> to put something down on paper
I prefer to write my letters in pen.

road - rode

road - noun -> street
I took the country road instead of taking the freeway.

rode - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to ride'
He rode a horse last weekend.

rose - rows

rose - noun -> flower
I gave my girlfriend a red rose for her birthday.

rows - noun plural -> horizontal lines of something
There are fifteen rows in the theater.

sail - sale

sail - verb -> to go by sailboat
They often sail on weekends.

sale - noun -> selling at reduced prices
Let's go to the sale at the supermarket this afternoon.

scene - seen

scene - noun -> visual location
The scene was set in the south of France.

seen - verb -> past participle of the verb 'to see'
I haven't seen him in years!

sea - see

sea - noun -> large body of water
We took a ferry across the sea.

see - verb -> to look at, to visualize
Can you see him coming? I don't see why he's late.

sew - so

sew - verb -> to use needle and thread
Most people don't sew their own clothes.

so - adverb -> to a great extent, very
The test was so difficult I almost failed.

sole - soul

sole - adjective -> the only one
She was the sole person to understand him.

soul - noun -> immortal part of a person
Many people believe that the soul goes to heaven when we die.

son - sun

son - noun -> male child
Our son goes to Harvard!

sun - noun -> the star that lights our solar system
The sun shone bright yesterday.

stair - stare

stair - noun -> step (often plural, describing a series of steps from one floor to another)
Be careful of that stair - it's broken.

stare - verb -> to look at steadily
Don't stare at that woman! It's rude.

steal - steel

steal - verb -> to take unlawfully
I think there should be no punishment for people who steal food to survive.

steel - noun -> metal
Most cars aren't really made of steel anymore.

suite - sweet

suite - noun -> a series of connected rooms, usually in a hotel
They stayed in the honeymoon suite.

sweet - adjective -> the opposite of sour
Candy is very sweet.

their - there

their - possessive adjective -> belonging to them
That's their house on the corner.

there - adverb -> at or in that place
Please sit over there.

threw - through

threw - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to throw'
He threw the ball to his father.

through - preposition -> going in or starting at one point or side and coming out at another
He went through the tunnel.

to - too - two

to - preposition -> towards (among many uses)
I went to him and offered my congratulations.

too - adverb -> also
Tom visited New York, too.

two - noun -> the number 2
She bought two magazines and some candy.

vary - very

vary - verb -> to change
Results may vary with daily or weekly use.

very - adverb -> to a high degree
She was very happy to see Jim.

waist - waste

waist - noun -> area between ribs and hips
I need to reduce the fat around my waist.

waste - verb -> to use up something thoughtlessly or carelessly

Start studying. Don't waste your time watching television.
waste - noun -> Something that has been thrown away, often without reason

He had a scholarship, then quit school. What a waste!

wait - weight

wait - verb -> to remain or stay in expectation
Can you wait just a moment?

weight - noun -> an amount of heaviness
I wish my weight were lower.

war - wore

war - noun -> armed conflict
The war in Iraq has been very expensive, in both lives and money.

wore - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to wear'
He wore a beautiful suit to the interview.

wear - where

wear - verb -> to put on clothing
Models generally wear jeans and not the expensive clothes they show on the walkway.

where - interrogative adverb -> at or in what place?
Where did I put my glasses?

weak - week

weak - adjective -> not strong
My left arm is very weak. I need to do some exercises.

week - noun -> seven days
My work week is very long and hard.

weather - whether

weather - noun -> the meteorological conditions
The weather has been quite beautiful this week.

whether - conjunction -> "whether ... or" indicates an alternative
I don't know whether he will come or not.

which - witch

which - interrogative pronoun -> what particular one or ones?
Which vacation should we choose?

witch - noun -> a woman thought to have magical powers
Sarah was burned as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials.

wood - would

wood - noun -> material coming from trees
The desk is made out of wood.

would - auxiliary verb -> used to express desire, intent, wish
I would like to visit you soon.