Homonyms - Definition, Functions and Examples

One of the most confusing yet interesting topics in the English language is homonyms. Most students often get confused with homophones, homographs and homonyms. So, how would you explain to a student which pair of words are homonyms and which of them are homophones? Well, in this article, you will get to know all about homonyms. The following topics will be discussed in this article.

What Are Homonyms? – Meaning and Definition
List of Homonyms with Their Functions, Meanings and Examples
Check Your Understanding of Homonyms
Frequently Asked Questions on Homonyms

What Are Homonyms? – Meaning and Definition

The word ‘homonym’ was derived from the Greek word “homonymos”, which means having the same name. In simple terms, homonyms are those words that have the same spelling or pronunciation but completely different meanings and functions. Homonyms, therefore, can be said to include both homophones and homographs.

According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, a homonym is defined as “a word that is spelt like another word (or pronounced like it), but that has a different meaning.” For example, “The children played with a bat.” Here, ‘bat’ refers to the sports equipment used to play cricket. Whereas “The bats feast on the nectar of flowers.” Here, ‘bats’ refers to a type of animal that generally comes out at night.

To help you understand better and to avoid any sort of confusion, you can go through the list of commonly used homonyms along with their meanings, the part of speech they belong to and sentence examples so that you can use them correctly in the right context. Take a look at them.

List of Homonyms with Their Functions, Meanings and Examples

Here is a list of homonyms for your reference.

Table 1

Homonyms with the Same Spelling and/or Pronunciation
Homonym	Part of Speech	Meaning	Sentence Example
Bear	Noun	A large, wild animal	They saw a black bear.
Bear	Verb	Being able to accept and deal with something	You will have to bear the pain.
Right	Adjective	Correct or true	You are right.
	Noun	The right side	Meena sat on the right.
	Adverb	Correctly or exactly	Everything that you told us was right.
Tear	Noun	A drop that comes from your eye when you cry	She had tears in her eyes at the end of the movie.
Tear	Verb	To pull something apart in pieces and damage it	The little girl will tear up everything she gets.
Match	Noun	A game	Do you know which team won the match?
	Noun	A small stick used to start a fire	I used a match to light up the stove.
	Verb	To find something that is suitable	My mom was looking for a lining material that matches the pastel-coloured saree she bought recently.
Ring	Noun	A jewel that you wear on your finger	My father bought me a diamond ring
	Noun	A round object	I used a ring to make a dreamcatcher.
	Verb	To call someone	Manu will ring you in some time.
	Verb	To cause something to sound like a bell	Did you hear the bell ring?
Kind	Noun	A group of people with similar characteristics	We are one of a kind.
Kind	Adjective	Being good, generous, helpful	Beena is very kind.
Lie	Noun	Something untrue	I think she is telling a lie.
	Verb	To quote something untrue	My mom does not lie.
	Verb	To rest	He is lying on the bed.
Bright	Adjective	Strong, full of light	The sun is very bright today.
Bright	Adjective	Intelligent, clever, learning quickly	Aarathi is a bright student.
Address	Noun	The name and number of a building, the location of a building	Sherly gave her address so that we would not lose our way.
Address	Verb	To write or speak to someone	Today, Susan will be addressing the first-year students.
Watch	Noun	A device to check the time of the day	I bought a new watch.
Watch	Verb	To see or look at something	Can you please watch the baby for an hour?

Table 2

Homonyms with Different Spellings but the Same Pronunciation
Homonym	Part of Speech	Meaning	Sentence Example
Steal / Steel	Verb	To take something from someone without their permission	You have to be careful while travelling, otherwise, someone will steal your belongings.
Steal / Steel	Noun	A metal made from iron	We have a door made of steel.
I / Eye	Pronoun	A pronoun used to refer to the self	I am a content writer.
I / Eye	Noun	An organ that is used to see or look at what is around you	My eye is paining too badly.
Root / Route	Noun	A part of the plant that is normally underground	I think this tree’s roots have gone too deep into the ground.
Root / Route	Noun	A way through which one travels	I know this route really well.
Blue / Blew	Adjective	A colour	She has a pretty blue frock.
Blue / Blew	Verb	To produce an airflow	Santhosh blew air into the balloons.
Pair / Pear	Noun / Verb	Two similar things kept, taken or used together	I bought a new pair of shoes. The teacher paired me with my best friend.
Pair / Pear	Noun	An edible fruit	Do you like pears?
Threw / Through	Verb	To project an object to move rapidly through air	The little boy threw the ball over the wall.
Threw / Through	Preposition	From one side of the opening to another	We will be going through the newly-built tunnel.
Weight / Wait	Noun	The quantity or mass of an object	What is the weight of that cupboard?
Weight / Wait	Verb	To delay an action until another occurrence	Can you please wait till we arrive?
Idol / Idle	Noun	An image or a representation of someone or something that is revered	My father is my idol.
Idol / Idle	Adjective	Not particularly occupied or engaged in anything	Danny has been sitting idle from the time he woke up.
Paws / Pause	Noun	The soft foot of an animal	My dog puts his paws on my lap every time I am sad as if to console me.
Paws / Pause	Verb	To stop for some time	We have been practising for so long. Can we pause for a while?
Choose / Chews	Verb	To make a choice or pick something	What would you choose?
Choose / Chews	Verb	To grind or crush food with your teeth	My sister chews her food well because she cannot simply swallow her food.

Exercises on Homonyms

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate homonym in the following sentences.

The Queen honoured the brave ______. (knight/night)
This dress ____ to be the perfect fit for Mary. (seems/seam)
This _____ of the brave Queen goes back to a thousand ages. (tale/tail)
There was a ____ in my shoe. (whole/hole)
I can come to your house _____. (later/latter)
This perfume has a strong _______ (cent/scent)
Will she be able to _______ the pain? (bear)
___ your work, you should do it on your own. (its/it’s)
Tina will ____ the prize tomorrow. (except/accept)
The dog has been _____ (bark)

Answers

The Queen honoured the brave knight. (knight/night)
This dress seems to be the perfect fit for Mary. (seems/seam)
This tale of the brave Queen goes back to a thousand ages. (tale/tail)
There was a hole in my shoe. (whole/hole)
I can come to your house later. (later/latter)
This perfume has a strong scent. (cent/scent)
Will she be able to bear the pain? (bear)
It’s your work; you should do it on your own. (its/it’s)
Tina will accept the prize tomorrow. (except/accept)
The dog has been barking. (bark)

Frequently Asked Questions on Homonyms

What are homonyms?

The word homonym has derived from the Greek word “homonymos”, which means having the same name. Thus homonyms are those words that have the same spellings but completely different meanings.

What are homophones?

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings. Here the word ‘phone’ means sound, and the word ‘homo’ means the same/similar sound.