25 Homonyms Examples for Writers
A homonym is one of two or more words that are pronounced the same but have different spellings and/or spelled the same but have different meanings. In this post, we share 25 homonyms examples for writers, including which ones are homophones, homographs, and/or both.
If you look up the definition of a homonym, you might find that it's a type of word that is also called either a homophone or homograph. But what does that mean?
A homonym is one of two or more words that are pronounced the same but have different spellings (homophone) and/or spelled the same but have different meanings (homograph). In other words, homonyms are wonderful building blocks for fun wordplay.
This post shares a few examples of homonyms. Each set of words is preceded by whether the homonyms are homographs and/or homophones. This is not an exhaustive list, but I hope it will help illustrate what a homonym is and get you started on your homonym trail (which is a homograph that can be a noun synonym for "path" and/or a verb meaning "to follow").
Enjoy!
25 Homonyms Examples for Writers
- Homograph: Attribute (characteristic) or attribute (credit someone or something)
- Homophone: Bolder (more bold) or boulder (more rock)
- Homograph and homophone: Can (able to) or can (metal container)
- Homophone: Cite (source), sight (vision), or site (location)
- Homograph: Close (near) or close (to shut)
- Homograph: Console (comfort) or console (video game unit)
- Homograph and homophone: Crane (bird) or crane (machine)
- Homophone: Creak (noise) or creek (small stream)
- Homograph and homophone: Fair (reasonable) and fair (festival)
- Homophone: Hole (opening) or whole (complete)
- Homograph: Lead (front) or lead (mineral)
- Homograph and homophone: Lean (thin) or lean (rest against something)
- Homograph and homophone: May (month) or may (might)
- Homograph: Minute (small) or minute (measurement of time)
- Homograph and homophone: Novel (new) or novel (book-length fiction)
- Homograph: Object (thing) or object (argue)
- Homophone: Peak (max height), peek (look), or pique (gets interest)
- Homograph and homophone: Pen (writing instrument) or pen (area for animals)
- Homophone: Rain (water from sky), reign (period of time), or rein (leather strap)
- Homograph and homophone: Saw (tool) or saw (past tense of "to see")
- Homophone: Stationary (stay in one spot) or stationery (paper and envelopes)
- Homograph: Tear (rip) or tear (crying)
- Homograph and homophone: Train (mode of transport) or train (exercise)
- Homograph: Wind (blows) or wind (to turn)
- Homophone: Yore (refers to past), you're (you are), or your (possessive you)
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.