Home / Vocabulary / 25+ Homophones List & Examples (PDF)

25+ Homophones List & Examples (PDF)

Table of Contents show

In this article you will find a list of common English homophones with examples.

What is homophone in English?

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. For instance, “him” and “hymn” are examples of homophones. It is important to know their correct spelling and meaning so that you can use them correctly.

Mastering these can be challenging for English learners, but with practice and using them in context, you can improve your understanding of these similar-sounding words. For example him and hymn are homophone words.

A helpful method of remembering homophones is to associate them with their functions and analyse the part of speech to which each word in the pair belongs. However you choose to remember them, the key to understanding them is continuous practice by using them in sentences.

Difference between homophone, homograph and homonym

Let’s look at the differences between homophones, homographs and homonyms.

Type	Definition	Examples
Homophones	Words that have the same sounds but different meanings and spellings.	Pair/Pear, Write/Right, Flour/Flower
Homographs	Words that have the same spelling but different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations as well.	*Bow* (to bend)/*Bow* (archery), *Lead* (metal)/*Lead* (to guide), *Wound* (injury)/*Wound* (past tense of wind)
Homonyms	Words that have the same spelling or pronunciation but have different functions and meanings.	Bat (flying mammal)/Bat (used in sports), Bark (sound a dog makes)/Bark (outer covering of a tree), Rock (stone)/Rock (to sway back and forth)

Check Also:
50+ Confusing Words in English (PDF)
25+ Common Proverbs and Their Meanings in English
English Slang Words (Test PDF with Answers)

25+ homophone pairs with meaning – examples

This table provides commonly used homophone pairs in English along with their meanings and example sentences for better understanding.

Word Pairs	Part of Speech	Examples
Bear Bare	Noun/ Adjective	Have you seen a bear in the zoo? It’s not safe to walk barefoot on the street.
Break Brake	Noun/Verb	I need a break from studying. Please apply the brakes when stopping the car.
Blew Blue	Verb/Adjective	The wind blew the leaves away. I have a blue dress.
Wine Whine	Noun/Verb	Have you tasted red wine before? The puppy will whine if left alone.
Sole Soul	Noun/Adjective	The shoe’s sole is made of rubber. People believe the soul lives on after death.
Ate Eight	Verb/Adjective	She ate a delicious meal for lunch. We have eight crayons in the box.
Dear Deer	Adjective/Noun	This is my dear friend, Ahmad. The deer ran gracefully through the forest.
Jeans Genes	Noun	John wore faded blue jeans to the party. Our genes determine our eye color.
Serial Cereal	Noun	I enjoy watching a comedy serial on TV. Every morning, I eat cereal for breakfast.
Brayed Braid	Verb/Noun	The donkey brayed loudly. Emily styled her hair in a neat braid.
Browse Brows	Verb/Noun	You can browse the internet. Sarah raised her brows in surprise.
Days Daze	Noun/Verb	The days are longer in summer. The magician dazed the audience.
Haul Hall	Verb/Noun	Workers haul boxes. We’ll meet in the school hall.
Sell Cell	Verb/Noun	The store sells shoes. The human body consists of many cells.
Board Bored	Noun/Adjective	Write your name on the board. Tim felt bored during the lecture.
Bred Bread	Adjective/Noun	These dogs are well-bred. Can you pass me the bread, please?
Guilt Gilt	Noun	She felt guilt after the mistake. The gilt from the painting was shining.
Be Bee	Verb/Noun	They will be home soon. A bee stung my father.
Stationary Stationery	Adjective/Noun	The car was stationary. The stationery shop is closed.
Principal Principle	Noun/Adjective	The school principal. The principle of honesty is important.
Kernel Colonel	Noun	The kernel of the argument. My brother is a colonel.
Council Counsel	Noun	The city council. Seek proper legal counsel.
Hole Whole	Noun/Adjective	There’s a hole in my sock. The whole family gathered for dinner.
Write Right	Verb/Adjective	Please write your name. She sat on my right side.
Seen Scene	Verb/Noun	Have you seen that movie? The crime scene was disturbing.
Check Cheque	Verb/Noun	Can you check my essay? I made the payment by cheque.
Bore Boar	Verb/Noun	The lecture didn’t bore me. We spotted a wild boar.
No Know	Adjective/Verb	There is no time. I know the answer.
New Knew	Adjective/Verb	This is a new book. Nobody knew about the surprise.
Raise Rays	Verb/Noun	Raise your hand. The rays of the sun warmed the room.
Peace Piece	Noun	We need peace. Do you want another piece of cake?
Buy By	Verb/Preposition	They want to buy a car. My friends were sitting by the river.
Baron Barren	Noun/Adjective	He’s a baron of industry. The land became barren.
Wise Vice	Adjective/Noun	He is wise. Beware of vices.
Fir Fur	Noun	The tree is a fir. The dog’s fur is soft.
Bow Bough	Verb/Noun	Bow to the queen. The bough of the tree broke in the storm.
Pray Prey	Verb/Noun	We pray for peace. The lion found its prey.
Residence Residents	Noun	The residence is beautiful. The residents are friendly.
Him Hymn	Pronoun/Noun	I know him. We sing a hymn every Sunday.
Sea See	Noun/Verb	The sea is vast. Did you see my new car?
Ad Add	Noun/Verb	The ad is catchy. I will add sugar to the recipe.
Allowed Aloud	Verb/Adverb	You are allowed to enter. Read the story aloud.
Altar Alter	Noun/Verb	The altar is beautiful. I had to alter the dress.
Flea Flee	Noun/Verb	My dog has a flea. I am planning to flee the city.
Bean Been	Noun/Verb	I like green beans. She has been waiting for hours.
Meat Meet	Noun/Verb	I don’t eat red meat. Let’s meet at the cafe.
Berry Bury	Noun/Verb	Strawberries are a type of berry. They bury their treasure.
Flew Flu	Verb/Noun	The bird flew away. Many people got the flu last winter.
Band Banned	Noun/Verb	We formed a band. The government banned plastic bags.
Main Mane	Adjective/Noun	The main idea. The lion’s mane is majestic.
Loan Lone	Noun/Verb	I applied for a loan. I am a lone traveler.
Medal Meddle	Noun/Verb	She won a gold medal. Don’t meddle in their affairs.
Fort Fought	Noun/Verb	The fort is ancient. My brother and I fought yesterday.
Ceiling Sealing	Noun/Verb	The ceiling is high. Sealing the envelope carefully.
Sensor Censor	Noun/Verb	The sensor is broken. Censoring inappropriate content.
Steal Steel	Verb/Noun	Don’t steal. The knife is made of steel.
Throne Thrown	Noun/Verb	The throne is ornate. The ball was thrown far.
Cite Sight Site	Verb/Noun/Noun	Cite your sources. The breathtaking mountain sight. Choose a perfect site for your tent.
Desert Dessert	Noun/Verb	The desert is vast. I will desert the old plan. We love to have some dessert after every meal.