Homographs – meaning and examples

homographs meaning – what is a homograph?

A homograph is when two or more words are spelt the same but have different meanings and sometimes pronunciation. I’ll give you an example…

‘Close’ can mean 2 different things:

• near (adverb) – pronounced with a voiceless ‘s’ – clo-suh
• to shut (verb) – pronounced with a voiced ‘s’ – clo-z

 

Difficult, huh?

For those of you who really want to nail your pronunciation; homographs, homonyms and homophones are for you.

 

One tip before we begin is that homo = the same.

 

These are very tricky for non-natives to learn and distinguish between. Have a crack at learning some of the most common ones. I’ve given you the two (or more) homographs, the meaning and some tips for pronunciation.

Let’s take a look at a few examples with pictures first.

abuse

• means to use incorrectly as a noun, it rhymes with moose and the ‘s’ is voiceless.
  example – I think Sammy is being abused by his father.
• means to treat badly as a verb, it rhymes with choose and the ‘s’ is voiced.
  example – The abuse of Sammy has been going on for months.

address

• means the street name and number of the place you live and the stress is on the first part of the word (this is more obvious in American English than British English.
  example – Yes, you can borrow my pressure washer. I’ll give you my address later.
• means to speak to an audience to explain something. The stress is on the second part of the word.
  example – The Prime Minister will be addressing the nation later live on the BBC.

close

• means close by or near as an adjective and the ‘s’ is voiceless.
  example – The police station is close to the big park in the centre.
• means to shut something as a verb and the ‘s’ is voiceless.
  example – Please close all the windows and lock them before you leave.

lead

• means a type of metal as a noun and it rhymes with head and fed.
  example – Someone has stolen the pile of lead from my garden.
• means to guide or be in front as a verb and it rhymes with feed and need.
  example – The dogs lead the rescuers to the trapped boy.

I bet you’re wondering what the hell does voiced and voiceless mean? If you don’t know, I suggest you find out. Learning about them will help you understand this page better. Follow the link to find out (voiced and voiceless sounds).

homographs list

Here’s a list with examples for you to get your teeth into. I’ve also given you some tips on stress and pronunciation too.

Good luck!

• abuse   
  to use incorrectly – Rhymes with moose (voiceless).
  to tread badly – Rhymes with choose (voiced).

• address  
  a street number – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to address (speak to) a crowd – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• affect  
  your feelings/mode/state – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to influence – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• alternate 
  another – Stress on the 1^st part (al-turn-ut).
  to take turns – Stress on the 2^nd part (al-tur-nate).

• analyses
  plural of analysis – An-ah-luh-sis.
  the third person of analyse – An-uh-ly-zez.

• appropriate  
  suitable – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to seize, to take for oneself – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• attribute
  a characteristic – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to credit success – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• axes
  plural of axis – Voiceless.
  plural of axe – Voiced.

• bass
  low pitch sounds – Rhymes with face, grace.
  a stringed instrument – Rhymes with chase, lace.
  a fish – Rhymes with mass.

• blessed
  a mildly bad word similar to bloody – Ble-sed.
  past tense of bless – Blest.

• bow
  an old-school weapon used for shooting arrows – Rhymes with no, so.
  a knot made by tying loops – Rhymes with go, toe.
  a tool used for playing a stringed instrument – Rhymes with ho, snow.
  the front of a boat/ship – Rhymes with wow.
  to bend from the waist as a sign of respect – Rhymes with how, now, brown, cow.

• close
  close by, near – Voiceless.
  to shut – Voiced.

• combine
  a farm machine that harvests – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to bring together, mix – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• compact
  small – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to make small – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• complex
  a collection of buildings with shared facilities – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to be made up of many parts – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• compound
  a mixture of elements – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to make the situation worse – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• concert
  a show/performance – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to arrange – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• conduct
  behaviour, manner – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to lead/manage – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• conflict
  a war/argument – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to go against each other – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• console
  a control unit like a PlayStation – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to provide comfort in times of grief – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• content
  all of the information – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to be satisfied – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• contest
  a game/match – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to argue – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• contract
  the papers to seal the deal – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to gain customers, workers, deals or diseases – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• convert
  a person whose belief was changed – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to change one’s belief – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• convict
  a person in prison – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to catch a criminal – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• coordinates
  numbers used to calculate position – Co-order-nuts.
  to arrange/order – Co-order-naytes.

• decrease
  a reduction/drop – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to lessen – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• deliberate
  on purpose – de-lib-rut.
  to think about – de-li-ber-rate.

• desert
  a dry place full of sand – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to abandon/leave – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• digest
  published material – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to absorb/process – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• discard
  something that’s been rejected – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to cast aside/dispose of – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• discharge
  liquid that comes from a wound – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to leave hospital – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• discount
  money off the normal price – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to lack credibility – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• do
  singing scale; do re mi fa so la ti – Rhymes with go, no.
  perform an action – Rhymes with grew, who.

• does
  plural of doe; a female deer/rabbit – Rhymes with goes, shows.
  the third person form of do – Rhymes with buzz, fuzz.

• dove
  a white bird – Rhymes with glove, love.
  past tense of dive – Rhymes with alive, five.

• drawer
  a compartment in furniture used as storage – Stress on the 1^st part (drawer).
  one who draws – Stress on the 2^nd part (draw-er).

• ellipses
  plural of ellipse – Voiced.
  plural of ellipsis – Voiceless.

• entrance(s)
  doorway – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to be captivated/hypnotised – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• evening
  late afternoon – Eev-ning.
  make even – Ee-ven-ing.

• excuse
  an explanation/reason – Stress on the 1^st part, voiceless.
  to pardon one – Stress on the 2^nd part, voiced.

• exploit
  a bold/extraordinary/heroic feat – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to take advantage of – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• extract
  a small part taken from a text – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to remove or take out – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• house
  a building where people live – Rhymes with mouse (voiceless).
  place the less fortunate in residence – Rhymes with cows (voiced).

• impact
  an object coming into contact with another – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to have a strong effect on – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• incense
  spice which is burnt for the smell it produces – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to perfume with a fragrance – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• increase
  a growth/rise – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to grow/enlarge – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• insert
  something that has been inserted – Stress on the 1^st part.
  the action of inserting something – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• intimate
  close acquaintance/friend – Stress on the 1^st part (in-tee-mut).
  to hint/make known – Stress on the 2^nd part (in-tee-may-tuh).

• intrigue
  a mysterious quality – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to arouse curiosity – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• invalid
  a disabled person – Stress on the 1^st part.
  not in date/void – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• invite
  an invitation – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to offer an invitation – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• laminate
  material formed from thin sheets glued together – Stress on the 1^st part (lam-in-ut).
  to assemble from thin sheets glued together – Stress on the 2^nd part (lam-in-ate).

• lead
  a metal – Rhymes with head, fed.
  to guide/be in front – Rhymes with feed, need.

• live
  to be alive/to live – Rhymes with sieve, with.
  on air – Rhymes with chive, dive.

• minute
  small – My-new-tuh.
  unit of time – Min-it.

• mobile
  to be energetic/moving – Stress on the 1^st part.
  a baby’s toy – Stress on the 1^st part (mo-by-ull).

• moped
  a small motorcycle – Mow-ped.
  past tense of mope – Mo-puh-tuh.

• number
  1,2,3,4… etc – Num-ber.
  past of numb – Nummer.

• object
  a thing – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to protest – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• overall
  an all-in-one suit worn to keep clothes clean – Stress on the 1^st part.
  taking everything into account – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• pasty
  to be thick and sticky or pale – Pay-stee.
  a meat pie made with pastry – Pass-tee.

• perfect
  to be correct – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to make correct – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• permit
  documentation/licence/permission – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to allow – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• pervert
  a person with abnormal sexual behaviour – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to corrupt the original route – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• polish
  from Poland – The ‘o’ is pronounced like ‘oh no’.
  to shine/make shiny – The ‘o’ is pronounced like ‘orange’.

• pesent
  in a particular place – Stress on the 1^st part.
  a gift – Stress on the 1^st part.
  at the current time/now – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to show/reveal – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• proceeds
  revenue earned/gained from an event/charity – Stress on the 1^st part.
  third person singular of proceed – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• produce
  products to sell – Stress on the 1^st part (prod-you-suh).
  to make – Stress on the 2^nd part (pruh-juce).

• progress
  an advancement/improvement/step – Stress on the 1^st part (prow-gress).
  to get better/progress – Stress on the 2^nd part (pruh-gress).

• project
  an assignment/piece of work/task – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to promote/propel/throw – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• protest
  an action expressing disapproval – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to express an objection – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• pussy
  a baby cat/kitten – Poo-see.
  to have puss inside – Puh-see.

• putting
  the continuous form of put – Rhymes with footing.
  the continuous form of putt – Rhymes with shutting.

• read
  present tense – Rhymes with feed, need.
  past and participle tense – Rhymes with said, red.

• rebel
  a person who goes against an organization – Stress on the 1^st part (reh-bul).
  to go against the rules/be naughty – Stress on the 2^nd part (reh-bel).

• record
  physical information – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to copy film/sound/images – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• recreation
  a hobby/pastime – Rrek-ree-ay-shun.
  a remake – Ree-kree-ay-shun.

• refuse
  garbage/litter/rubbish – Stress on the 1^st part (reh-fuze).
  to decline/say no – Stress on the 2^nd part (ree-fuze).

• reject
  a person/thing that’s been dismissed/discarded – Stress on the 1^st part (ree-jekt).
  to dismiss/discard – Stress on the 2^nd part (reh-jekt).

• relay
  a race, to refit something such as tiles – Stress on the 1^st part (ree-lay).
  to pass on information – Stress on the 2^nd part (reh-lay).

• remake
  a film/music that’s been made again – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to make something again – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• resign
  to quit – Voiced.
  to sign again/re-sign – Voiceless.

• resume
  curriculum vitae/résumé – Stress on the 1^st part (rez-you-may).
  to start again – Stress on the 2^nd part (rez-you-muh).

• row
  line facing one way – Rhymes with go, no.
  to paddle a boat – Rhymes with low, so.
  an argument – Rhymes with how, now.

• sake
  Japanese rice wine – Saaa-keh.
  for a benefit of someone/a cause – Rhymes with bake, take.

• second
  the ordinal number of ‘two’ – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to send workers to temporarily work elsewhere – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• separate
  different/unrelated – Sep-rut.
  to move apart – Seh-puh-rate.

• sewer
  drainage pipes under the ground – Rhymes with chewer, newer.
  a job with a needle and thread – Rhymes with grower, lower.

• shower
  a person who shows something – Rhymes with grower.
  a short spell of rain/to clean oneself – Rhymes with hour.

• sow
  a female pig – Rhymes with now.
  to plant seeds – Rhymes with no.

• subject
  a topic – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to cause/undergo – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• survey
  the results of the views of many people – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to examine an area – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• tear
  liquid that comes from your eyes when you cry – Rhymes with ear, fear.
  to rip apart – Rhymes with care, hair.

• tier
  another floor/level – Rhymes with cheer, ear.
  a person who ties knots – Rhymes with fire, liar.

• transfer
  move from one place to another (noun) – Stress on the 1^st part.
  move from one place to another (verb) – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• transport
  a system where people or goods are moved from place to place – Stress on the 1^st part.
  carry people/goods by vehicle – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• upset
  an unexpected result – Stress on the 1^st part.
  to make somebody unhappy – Stress on the 2^nd part.

• use
  the benefit/function/job – Rhymes with juice, loose (voiceless).
  to utilise – Rhymes with clues, whose (voiced).

• wind
  the blowing movements in the air – Rhymes with the ‘Ind’ in India.
  to tighten/turn/twist – Rhymes with find, kind.

• wound
  an injury/scar – Rhymes with soon, then add a ‘voiced d’ sound.
  past tense of wind – Rhymes with found, sound.

Here’s a PDF list of homographs for you to download and study at your leisure.

I hope you’re enjoying learning about homographs; they are a fantastic way to improve your spoken English. I’ve got some good news for you; homographs are not alone in the English language. They do in fact have a few siblings called homonyms and homophones. They are like homographs but slightly different. They are also extremely useful to know, follow the links to find out what they are.

Homonyms – words spelt the same but have different meanings (easy).

Homophones – words spelt differently but pronounced the same. They also have a different meaning and/or spelling. (harder).

homographs worksheets

Are you ready to practice what you’ve learnt? Ok, try pronouncing these sentences with homographs correctly. If you get stuck, go back to the tables above for some pronunciation tips.

lead or read?

Here’s a classic example of a homograph. Can you pronounce this paragraph correctly? It’s difficult, even I have trouble reading it!

Head over to my just for fun section if you want to practice more weird and wonderful exercises like this.

pronunciation courses

If you really want to become a pronunciation pro, I suggest taking English pronunciation classes online. Here are some of the best ones: