Homonyms are words that sound alike or are spelled alike, but carry different meanings, and sometimes different origins. They can be a source of confusion for learners, yet they also add colour, humour, and flexibility to the language. This article presents an extensive table of homonym pairs, with one word in the first column and its homonym in the second. Use it as a quick reference when reading, writing, or teaching, and to expand your vocabulary. Noticing homonyms in context will sharpen your comprehension, reduce mistakes, and help you appreciate the playful side of English daily, and communicate more clearly.
| Word 1 | Word 2 |
|---|---|
| air | heir |
| loan | lone |
| ail | ale |
| made | maid |
| allowed | aloud |
| male | |
| arc | ark |
| main | mane |
| ate | eight |
| meat | meet |
| bad | bade |
| medal | meddle |
| bail | bale |
| missed | mist |
| bald | bawled |
| muscle | mussel |
| ball | bawl |
| none | nun |
| bare | bear |
| oar | ore |
| beach | beech |
| one | won |
| bean | been |
| pail | pale |
| bear | bare |
| pain | pane |
| beat | beet |
| pair | pear |
| bee | be |
| patience | patients |
| beet | beat |
| peace | piece |
| bell | belle |
| peal | peel |
| berry | bury |
| plain | plane |
| birth | berth |
| plane | plain |
| blue | blew |
| pore | pour |
| boar | bore |
| practice | practise |
| board | bored |
| praise | prays |
| bough | bow |
| pray | prey |
| bow | bough |
| principal | principle |
| boy | buoy |
| profit | prophet |
| brake | break |
| rain | reign |
| buy | by |
| buy | bye |
| rap | wrap |
| ceiling | sealing |
| read | reed |
| cell | sell |
| read | red |
| cent | sent |
| right | write |
| cheap | cheep |
| ring | wring |
| check | cheque |
| road | rode |
| coarse | course |
| role | roll |
| cord | chord |
| root | route |
| dear | deer |
| rose | rows |
| die | dye |
| sale | sail |
| dun | done |
| scene | seen |
| dye | die |
| sea | see |
| ewe | you |
| seam | seem |
| eye | I |
| sew | sow |
| fair | fare |
| sight | site |
| feat | feet |
| soar | sore |
| find | fined |
| sole | soul |
| flea | flee |
| son | sun |
| flew | flu |
| soot | suit |
| flour | flower |
| stair | stare |
| flower | flour |
| stake | steak |
| fool | full |
| steal | steel |
| fore | four |
| stile | style |
| forth | fourth |
| suite | sweet |
| foul | fowl |
| tail | tale |
| fur | fir |
| tear | tier |
| gait | gate |
| their | there |
| grate | great |
| threw | through |
| groan | grown |
| throne | thrown |
| hair | hare |
| tide | tied |
| hall | haul |
| to | two |
| heal | heel |
| told | tolled |
| hear | here |
| too | to |
| too | two |
| heard | herd |
| towed | toad |
| here | hear |
| urn | earn |
| higher | hire |
| vain | vein |
| him | hymn |
| vale | veil |
| hole | whole |
| vein | vane |
| vein | vain |
| hour | our |
| waist | waste |
| idle | idol |
| wait | weight |
| key | quay |
| way | weigh |
| knew | new |
| weak | week |
| knight | night |
| wear | where |
| knot | not |
| whole | hole |
| know | no |
| witch | which |
| lain | lane |
| wood | would |
| lead | led |
| write | right |
| leak | leek |
| yoke | yolk |
| lessen | lesson |
| yore | your |
| aide | aid |
| altar | alter |
| ant | aunt |
| band | banned |
| barely | barley |
| capital | capitol |
| carat | carrot |
| cast | caste |
| cereal | serial |
| colonel | kernel |
| complement | compliment |
| council | counsel |
| creak | creek |
| days | daze |
| desert | dessert |
| for | four |
| gene | jean |
| guessed | guest |
| hail | hale |
| knead | need |
| miner | minor |
| morning | mourning |
| naval | navel |
| scent | sent |
| shore | sure |
| slay | sleigh |
| waive | wave |
| wear | ware |
| weather | whether |
| who’s | whose |
