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When trying to understand homographs, a cloud of confusion hangs over most people’s heads—even proofreaders.
Homographs—words with the same spelling but different meanings—are particularly puzzling for ESL learners whose native language may not contain nearly as many words with multiple meanings.
Context is critical to comprehending these identical terms, so let’s look at over fifty sentences with homographs.
Proofreaders, editors, writers, students, and ESL learners are just a few examples of groups that can benefit from a greater mastery of homographs.
What Are Homographs?
You may be familiar with homophones—words that are pronounced the same way but differ in meaning or spelling (e.g., roll vs. role).
But what are homographs?
The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary defines a homograph as “one of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or derivation or pronunciation.”
Debate exists about whether words with the same spelling must be pronounced differently to be considered homographs.
However, since the US book publishing industry refers to the highly esteemed Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, we’ll go with the definition I mentioned above.
And that definition suggests that homographs don’t need to differ in pronunciation.
Everyone agrees that the defining feature of homographs is that they have the same spelling: homo meaning “same” and graph meaning “to write” in Greek.
Sentences with Homographs
Let’s start with our sentences! I’ve organized the homographs below in alphabetical order for easy reference.
Note: If you’re unsure how to pronounce any of these words, the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary has a pronunciation button with each word entry so you can hear it.
I’ve included pronunciation notes after each pair of words so you can know whether they’re pronounced the same way. About half of the pairs on this list have the same pronunciation.
Address
Address: the precise location where a person or business can be found [noun]
After their move, the Smiths sent their family and friends a greeting card from their new address.
Address: to acknowledge and speak to a matter [verb]
The mayor plans to address concerns over increasing unemployment at the public meeting.
Pronunciation: same
Aim
Aim: an objective or goal [noun]
Her aim was to learn how to speak Spanish in two years.
Aim: to point an object (often a weapon) in a specific direction [verb]
He would need to aim carefully to hit the bull’s-eye on the archery target.
Pronunciation: same
Bass
Bass: a freshwater fish [noun]
One of his hobbies is going to the river to fly fish for bass.
Bass: having a deep, low-pitch sound [adjective]
Sophia played the bass clarinet in high school.
Pronunciation: different
Bar
Bar: a long, straight piece of material (often made of metal or wood) [noun]
He used the pull-up bar to strengthen his back muscles.
Bar: a place where alcoholic beverages are served [noun]
They went to the bar to have a drink after work.
Pronunciation: same
Bow
Bow: a knot tied with two or more loops [noun]
The little girl had a big pink bow in her hair.
Bow: to lean forward at the hips to greet someone or show obedience, thanks, or acknowledgment [verb]
The dancers knew to bow after their performance to acknowledge the crowd applauding them.
Pronunciation: different
Calf
Calf: the back part of your lower leg [noun]
Katie developed a cramp in her calf while she was running.
Calf: a baby cow [noun]
We saw a cute calf while we were on the farm.
Pronunciation: same
Capital
Capital: the bigger (uppercase) form of a letter (e.g., A, not a) [adjective]
A sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a period.
Capital: a city or town where the seat of government is located [noun]
Paris is the capital of France.
Pronunciation: same
Close
Close: near, not far from [adverb]
Neighbors live close to each other.
Close: to shut [verb]
She had to close the door to the house so flies wouldn’t come in.
Pronunciation: different
Content
Content: the material contained in a work (website, book, movie, etc.) [noun]
The content of many children’s books is educational and entertaining.
Content: satisfied [adjective]
Maria was content to sit by the river and read her book in peace.
Pronunciation: different
Desert
Desert: a large, dry area of land that contains little vegetation [noun]
The Sahara is a desert located in Africa.
Desert: to abandon [verb]
He decided to desert his huge house in the city for a tiny home in the suburbs.
Pronunciation: different
Fit
Fit: to be a suitable shape and size for [verb]
The new pair of pants fit him perfectly.
Fit: in good physical condition [adjective]
Adam is fit because he exercises regularly and eats a well-balanced diet.
Pronunciation: same
Iron
Iron: a strong, malleable heavy metal [noun]
Some dumbbells you find at the gym are made of cast iron.
Iron: a small household appliance used to press and remove wrinkles from fabric [noun]
I only used an iron once when I lived in a college dorm. (It’s true! 😊)
Pronunciation: same
Jam
Jam: to push or squeeze tightly into a space [verb]
They had to jam all their camping gear into a tiny trunk.
Jam: a spread made by cooking fruit and sugar together [noun]
Ben made himself a sandwich with peanut butter and strawberry jam.
Pronunciation: same
Kid
Kid: a young person [noun]
Trent’s kid is excited about starting first grade.
Kid: a young goat [noun]
The farmer enjoyed watching the kid graze in the pasture.
Pronunciation: same
Light
Light: having a low weight [adjective]
A feather is light compared to a rock.
Light: a source of illumination [noun]
The moon was like a bright light in the nighttime sky.
Pronunciation: same
Live
Live: to continue being alive [verb]
She wanted to live to be one hundred years old.
Live: happening in real time [adjective]
Paul likes to go to live concerts to enjoy music with a crowd of people.
Pronunciation: different
Minute
Minute: sixty seconds [noun]
She has one minute left to answer the question posed by the game show host.
Minute: tiny, very small [adjective]
You don’t have to memorize the minute details of the lectures to pass the history exam.
Pronunciation: different
Object
Object: something physical and nonliving that can be seen or touched [noun]
Close your eyes and guess what object I’ve placed in your hands.
Object: to voice disapproval or disagreement with something [verb]
The mom knew her fussy toddler would object to putting his shoes back on.
Pronunciation: different
Pen
Pen: a writing utensil containing ink [noun]
Priya signed her name with a black pen.
Pen: an enclosed area where animals are kept [noun]
The chickens walked around in their backyard pen.
Pronunciation: same
Present
Present: this now moment [noun]
Let’s try to live in the present instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
Present: to formally give something to someone [verb]
The principal planned to present a special surprise to the long-time teacher at the assembly.
Pronunciation: different
Project
Project: a specific scope of work to be completed in a certain time limit [noun]
The teacher gave her students three weeks to complete their science project.
Project: to make an estimate based on available data [verb]
Leila had to project her future income when she applied for health insurance.
Pronunciation: different
Safe
Safe: protected, out of harm’s way [adjective]
They looked for a safe place to take shelter from the storm.
Safe: a secure vessel for storing valuables [noun]
Some hotel rooms have a safe to store expensive or essential items.
Pronunciation: same
Tear
Tear: to pull something apart, to rip [verb]
The child struggled to tear the wrapping paper off the gift.
Tear: a drop of the salty substance that comes from our eyes when we cry [noun]
She shed a tear during the sad scene in the movie.
Pronunciation: different
Term
Term: a word or phrase that has a specific meaning [noun]
The term cygnet refers to a young swan.
Term: a set period of time [noun]
Most lease agreements are for a one-year term.
Pronunciation: same
Violet
Violet: a purplish color [noun]
In the acronym ROYGBIV—used to remember the order of colors in the rainbow—violet is the last color.
Violet: a purplish flower [noun]
Fran’s favorite flower is the violet.
Pronunciation: same
Wind
Wind: a movement of air that occurs naturally [noun]
I love to hear the wind as it blows through the trees.
Wind: to wrap one thing around another thing [verb]
The nurse had to wind the bandage securely around the patient’s ankle to provide enough support.
Pronunciation: different
Frequently Asked Questions
What are homophones?
Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings (and usually different spellings). Here are some homophones you’ve probably bumped into before:
- affect vs. effect
- feint vs. faint
- straight vs. strait
- very vs. vary
- blue vs. blew
- hoarse vs. horse
I wrote an article about hard-to-remember homophones if you want to hone your homophone know-how. 😊
What are homonyms?
Now that we know what homographs and homophones are, we can understand what’s meant by the term homonym.
Homonyms are words that qualify as homographs, homophones, or both (source).
So homonyms are words that must meet at least one of two criteria below:
1) be a homograph: have the same spelling (doesn’t matter how they’re pronounced)
Example from This Article: address and address are homonyms because they’re also homographs (same spelling, different pronunciation)
2) be a homophone: have the same pronunciation (doesn’t matter how they’re spelled)
Example: pale and pail are homonyms because they’re also homophones(same pronunciation, different spelling)
A stricter definition of homonyms mandates they be both homographs and homophones (source). Following this definition, they would have to meet both criteria mentioned above, not just one.
Let’s see an example that follows this strict definition.
Example from This Article: aim and aim are homonyms because they’re both homographs and homophones (same spelling and same pronunciation)
How can I remember the difference between homographs, homophones, and homonyms?
Trying to recall the difference between these three similar-looking words is a challenge. But here’s a helpful tip from my favorite dictionary:
“To help remember, think of the etymology: homophones have the same sound (the Greek phonos), homographs have the same spelling (Greek graphein), and homonym comes from the Greek word meaning “name” (onyma).”
– Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary
I hope that exploring these sentences with homographs has helped you better understand not only homographs but also homophones and homonyms.
Now you may feel more confident about not mixing up the meanings of these messy words in your mind. 😊
Best wishes to you!
“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
– Shel Silverstein
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