Homophones

What Are Homophones?

Words that have the same sounds but different meanings and spellings.

Homophones	Examples
Bear Bare	Have you seen a bear? I am not able to bear the pain. We don’t suggest you walk barefoot on the hike.
Break Brake	I need a break. Did you break the glass? Please apply the brakes. It is not good that you brake abruptly in the middle of the road.
Blew Blue	The wind blew swiftly. I have a blue skirt.
Wine Whine	Have you ever tasted wine? Angela keeps whining about everything all the time.
Sole Soul	My shoes’ sole tore after the game. His sole aim of appearing in competitive examinations was to get into a government job. She hoped his soul would rest in peace.
Heir Hair	Who is the next heir to the British throne? She has really long hair.
Maze Maize	This route is such a maze. Maize is one of the chief agricultural crops.
Heal Heel	Sitting near a water source heals my soul. My heel is paining badly since we had been walking all day.
Ate Eight	They ate rice and curry for lunch. We have eight rabbits at home.
Dear Deer	This is my dear brother. We saw a deer on the way to the Nilgiris.
Jeans Genes	Salviya bought a new pair of jeans. You have my genes.
Serial Cereal	Do you like to watch serials? We have cereal for breakfast when we are in the hostel.
Brayed Braid	The donkey brayed at the sight of his master. Each one of them was admiring her braid.
Browse Brows	It is easier nowadays to find content on any topic. All you have to do is just browse. Your brows are really thick.
Days Daze	I still remember the days we spent together. Thomas dazed as the teacher raised questions about the signup sheets.
Haul Hall	The vehicles in the accident were hauled to the police station. The hall for the reception was bigger than we had expected.
Sell Cell	Do you know the man who sells ice cream? He told me that he felt like every single cell in his body was in pain.
Board Bored	Children like it when you let them write on the board. They feel special. Danny felt so bored that he started irritating his sister.
Bred Bread	All the pets in this store are domestically bred. The bread my mom bought was stale.
Guilt Gilt	He was filled with guilt and regret. The gilt from the dress has been sticking to my hands; I do not know how to wash it off.
Be Bee	They will be reaching Dindigul around 11:30 p.m. A bee stung my father when he opened the letterbox.
Stationary Stationery	We did not realise that the picture was stationary as it had an illusionary effect. The stationery shop has been closed for a month now.
Principal Principle	The Principal announced that tomorrow will be a holiday on account of centum results. The principal aim of this induction programme is to introduce the nature of the course and the discipline you have chosen. My father lives by certain principles.
Kernel Colonel	Did you know what the kernel of the argument was? Have you tasted the kernel of a badam? My brother is a colonel.
Council Counsel	It was decided in the council that all members have to go through the screening process. With proper counsel, you will be able to decide with no doubt which discipline you should take up for your higher studies.
Hole Whole	He did not notice that there was a hole in the shirt he purchased yesterday. The whole gang was staying at our house tonight.
Write Right	The teacher asked the students to write an essay on friendship. She sat on my right side.
Seen Scene	Have you seen the newly built underwater museum? Nobody could tell which scene in the movie was the most touching.
Check Cheque	Can you please check if you have taken my notebook by mistake? Nive made the payment by cheque.
Bore Boar	Even though he was way too young, he bore all the burdens to help his family stay strong. Sunny spotted a wild boar.
No Know	There was no way we would reach the hall in time. I know who you are.
New Knew	Harsha bought a new car. Nobody knew anything about the red car parked in front of the apartments.
Raise Rays	All of them were asked to raise their glasses for a toast. The rays of the morning sun hit my window.
Peace Piece	We have had no peace at all after we heard the news of the accident. Do you want another piece of cake?
Buy By	They are planning to buy a dinner set to gift them. My friends were sitting by the see-saw.
Baron Barren	Do you know who the first railway baron was? The agricultural land has become completely barren.
Wise Vice	Aaron’s father is a wise man. Man has to bear the consequences of his vices.
Fir Fur	The little girl was excited to travel through a road with tall fir trees on either side. The dog’s fur was all over the bed.
Bow Bough	All of us bowed before the Queen. We saw a squirrel running up the bough of the tree in front of our house.
Pray Prey	All of us are praying for you. The eagle found its prey in between the bushes.
Residence Residents	It is not easy to find a good place of residence. The residents of NSN Palayam have written a letter to the area councillor.
Him Hymn	I think I know him. We sing hymns after our family prayer.
Sea See	The sea was filled with plastic waste. Did you see my new dress?
Ad Add	The newest ad on dog food is very funny. I will add a few nuts and raisins to the payasam before serving.
Allowed Aloud	We have been allowed to take one dress of our choice as a complimentary gift for our service. My mom asked me to read aloud.
Altar Alter	The altar was decorated with flowers. I had to alter the dress a little to fit me perfectly.
Flea Flee	There were too many fleas on the horses in the stable. I am planning to flee the country.
Bean Been	I added boiled beans and potatoes to make the Russian salad. She has been waiting to talk to you.
Meat Meet	Do you eat meat? I will meet my friends tomorrow.
Berry Bury	What are the berries you like? They buried their pet dog in their backyard.
Flew Flu	The cocktail that my cousin had flew away. The flu affected cattle and poultry.
Band Banned	We exchange friendship bands with our dearest friends. The government banned the use of plastic bags in Ooty.
Main Mane	What is the main purpose of your visit? She wished she had silky and soft hair, just like her horse’s mane.
Loan Lone	I have applied for a house loan. Can you loan me some amount? I am a lone traveller.
Medal Meddle	My sister received a medal for her excellent contribution to the research and development department. Danny asked Hari not to meddle with his project.
Fort Fought	We visited the Tipu Sultan Fort yesterday. My brother and I fought over something so stupid.
Ceiling Sealing	All the classes here have false ceilings. My mom told me not to send the letter without sealing it.
Sensor Censor	We stopped by the workshop as we had to change the reverse sensor. The accreditation board censored some of the dialogues in the movie as it was not age-appropriate.
Steal Steel	The little girl was trying to steal food as she was too hungry and had not eaten anything for days. My cupboard is made of steel.
Throne Thrown	Elsa was the next heir to the throne. The ball was thrown across the road.
Cite Sight Site	You have to cite the quotes if you want to use them in your writing in order to avoid plagiarism. Nobody could bear to see the sight. They felt that the site was big enough for them to build their dream house.
Desert Dessert	We were in the middle of the desert and did not know where to go. She was deserted by her friends. We love to have some dessert after every meal.

Check Your Understanding of Homophones

Fill in the blanks by choosing the right homophone from the homophone pairs given in brackets in the following sentences.

1. We saw a _______ (bear/bare) on our way to Ooty.

2. This cupboard is made of _________. (steal/steel)

3. The ________ (soul/sole) purpose of this visit was to resolve the issues between us.

4. I ________ (sell/cell) second-hand cars for a living.

5. We booked the upper ________ (berth/birth) for our trip.

6. Did you ________ (caste/cast) your votes?

7. Can you please give us a _______ (brake/break)?

8. Does the class have a smart _________ (bored/board)?

9. Do you have the ________ (flour/flower) to make cookies?

10. Every day, my sister wakes up at ________ (eight/ate) in the morning.

 

Check out if you chose the right homophone to fill in the blanks from the answers given below.

1. We saw a bear on our way to Ooty.

2. This cupboard is made of steel.

3. The sole purpose of this visit was to resolve the issues between us.

4. I sell second-hand cars for a living.

5. We booked the upper berth for our trip.                                   

6. Did you cast your votes?

7. Can you please give us a break?

8. Does the class have a smart board?

9. Do you have the flour to make cookies?

10. Every day, my sister wakes up at eight in the morning.

Frequently Asked Questions on Homophones in English

What are homophones?

Homophones are words that sound similar to another word but have different spellings and meanings.

Give some examples of homophones.

Here are a few examples of homophone pairs used in sentences for your reference.

The birth of their second son changed their lives forever.

As far as I am concerned, the lower berths in trains are comfortable for long journeys.

Nobody knows who was the next heir to the throne.

Your hair looks great today.

Not many people have a cell phone of their own.

What do you sell?

She did not know what to do with all the fruits they brought.

Do you know how to tie a knot?

I wish I could sit by the sea through the night.

Did you see the bride? She was absolutely beautiful.