Homonymous words

Homonymous or homonyms are words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings. There are three types of homonyms: perfect homonyms, homophones, and homographs. Homonymy relations are studied by semantics.

perfect homonyms

Perfect homonyms are words that have the same spelling and sound but have different meanings.

Examples of perfect homonyms :

Path

• Do you know the way to Peter’s house? (noun – itinerary)
• I walk on the beach every day for an hour. (verb walk)

Early

• Today I managed to leave the house early . (adverb – in advance)
• I always give my seat to pregnant and elderly people. (verb yield)

Light

• I can carry this pack alone because it is light . (adjective – with little weight)
• Do you want someone to take this stuff to the garage? (verb take)

Hill

• Climbers are climbing the hill . (hill)
• I’m terrified of heights! (verb die)

River

• Shall we bathe in the river ? (noun – river water course)
• I laugh at your jokes because you are hilarious! (verb laugh)

They are

• After the accident, he is, luckily, safe and sound! (adjective – healthy)
• What time is it ? (verb to be)

Summer

• Today starts summer ! (noun – season of the year)
• Will they see the movie tomorrow? (verb see)

homophones

Homophones , also called homophones , are words that have the same phonetics, that is, they are pronounced the same, but have different meanings and spellings.

Examples of homophones :

accent/seat

• The word stomach has a circumflex accent . (graphic sign)
• On the bus I gave up my seat to the elderly gentleman. (chair, place)

steel/baked

• This steel bar is very resistant. (iron alloy)
• I almost bake with so much heat! (verb bake)

cell/saddle

• The killer will spend the rest of his life in that cell . (small compartment)
• He saddled the horse and rode off. (padded seat)

hundred/seat

• My neighbor is very fat, she weighs one hundred and thirty kilos. (hundred)
• I sit here and wait for you to come back. (verb sit)

sawing/sawing

• The carpenter is sawing wood to make a desk. (saw)
• Management called the employee to close the employment contract. (close, finish)

Concert repair

• Madonna concerts are always sold out . (musical show)
• Refrigerator repair was expensive ! (Repair)

bake/sew

• My grandmother sewed my skirt yesterday. (to sew)
• Mom boiled potatoes for dinner. (to cook)

scene/scene

• Do you know the numbers drawn in the sena ? (lottery)
• The crime scene was investigated by experts. (scenario)

sense/census

• I love your sense of humor! (sense)
• Based on the census , we can verify the average age of the Brazilian population. (statistical survey)

session/section/assignment

• Do you want to go to the cinema with me to see the ten o’clock movie ? (meeting, presentation)
• I don’t know what my constituency is . (division, distribution)
• The patient allowed the assignment of his internal organs for transplants and study. (ceding)

back/bring

• When he called her name, she looked back . (back location)
• Don’t worry, he brings the stuff. (verb bring)

vase/vessel

• Put this material in that vase and continue to work. (container)
• I drain the water at the end of the day and tomorrow we clean the pool. (let out)

homograph words

Homograph words , also called homographs , are words that have the same spelling, that is, they are written the same way, but they have different meanings and pronunciations.

Examples of homographs :

hit

• The president spoke very correctly . (noun – correction)
• I never get the answers right in this game. (verb hit)

Lunch

• Sunday lunch was delicious ! (noun – meal)
• Today I have lunch with you. (verb lunch)

To harvest

• I need a spoon to stir the beans. (noun – tableware)
• Stop picking the oranges, they’re still green! (verb spoon)

Start

• I only read the beginning of the book because then I fell asleep. (noun – start)
• I start this work now, but I won’t finish until tomorrow. (verb start)

Choir

• The church choir sang beautifully at midnight mass. (noun – singers)
• I blush whenever I think about it because I’m shy. (verb blush)

Ice

• Do you have more ice for the caipirinha? (noun – solid water)
• I get cold just thinking about it! (verb freeze)

I like

• Your taste is sometimes questionable! (noun – preference)
• I really like to travel and see the world! (verb to like)

Game

• Do you like this computer game ? (noun – fun)
• I play football every week with my brother. (verb play)

Sauce

• I already made the lasagna white sauce ! (noun – broth)
• I get wet every time I wash the dishes. (verb wet)

Eye

• He is a charming brunette with green eyes . (noun – sight)
• I always look out the window when my son comes home from school. (verb look)

synthesizing

Perfect homonyms :

• Phonetics (sound) : same
• Spelling (writing) : same
• Meaning : different

Homophone words :

• Phonetics (sound) : same
• Spelling (writing) : different
• Meaning : different

Homograph words :

• Phonetics (sound) : different
• Spelling (writing) : same
• Meaning : different

homonyms and paronyms

Homonyms are often confused with paronyms (or paronyms), which are pronounced similarly but have different meanings.