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25+ Homophones List & Examples (PDF)

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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.

English Homophones Words List

Difference between homophone, homograph and homonym

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

TypeDefinitionExamples
HomophonesWords that have the same sounds but different meanings and spellings.
  • Pair/Pear,
  • Write/Right,
  • Flour/Flower
HomographsWords 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)
HomonymsWords 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 PairsPart of SpeechExamples
  • 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.

 

Homophones A-Z List PDF

  Homophones-A-Z List PDF – download

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“brake” is also used as a verb!

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