HOMOGRAPHS
A homograph (from the Greek homós,
"same" and gráphō, "write") is a word that shares the same
written form as another word but has a different meaning and in some case has
different pronunciation.
See the example:
sow (verb) – to plant seed
sow (noun) – female pig
where the two words are spelt
identically but pronounced differently. Here confusion is not possible in
spoken language but could occur in written language.
Some may get confused with
“Homograph” and “Homonym”. Homonyms always have “same spelling”, “same
pronunciation”, but different in “meaning. Where as Homographs are also have
the same spelling, but different in meaning and pronunciation.
Let us learn with the following
examples:
Homographs examples that start with
A.
Absent
◾If you’re absent more than five
times, you fail the course.
◾He had absented himself from the
office for the day.
Abstract
◾The research shows that preschool
children are capable of thinking in abstract terms.
◾Abstracts of about 300 words should
be submitted to the conference committee who will decide which papers to
accept.
Accent
◾In the word ‘dinner’ the accent is on
the first syllable.
◾The women accent their eyes with
makeup.
Address
◾I can give you the address of a good
attorney.
◾That letter was addressed to me.
Advocate
◾Those who advocate for doctorassisted
suicide say the terminally ill should not have to suffer.
◾She’s a passionate advocate of
natural childbirth.
Attribute
◾Some economists attribute much of the
rising wage inequality in this country to the shift in favor of the most
skilled workers.
◾She spent most of the interview
describing the company’s attributes to me.
Homographs examples that start with
B.
Back
◾I’ll be back in a minute.
◾She was the one who had fired him
from his first job back in South Africa.
◾Anna stood with her back to the
window.
Ball
◾Bounce the ball and try and hit it
over the net.
◾My hands were balled into fists.
Band
◾The band was playing old Beatles
songs.
◾She always ties her hair back in a
band.
◾Many insects are banded black and
yellow.
Bank
◾I worked for a bank.
◾He jumped in and swam to the opposite
bank.
Bar
◾She was sitting at the bar.
◾I ate three bars of chocolate.
Bass
◾I play bass in a jazz band.
◾Fresh sea bass is a great delicacy.
Bat
◾I am afraid of bats.
◾It’s his first time at bat in the
major leagues.
Blessed
◾I can’t see a blessed thing without
my glasses.
◾They brought the children to Jesus
and he blessed them.
Bow
◾This is done with a formal bow to the
king or queen.
◾She had a red bow in her hair.
Homographs examples that start with
C.
Can
◾Gayatri can speak English fluently.
◾We drank a can of Coke each.
Capital
◾Delhi is the capital of India.
◾You should write your name in capital
letters.
Capture
◾The robbery was captured on police
video cameras.
◾The two soldiers somehow managed to
avoid capture.
Chest
◾Her heart was pounding in her chest.
◾In our family, we should have a
medicine chest.
Clip
◾They are clips from the new James
Bond film.
◾The wire is held on with a metal clip.
close
"Will you please close that
door!"
The tiger was now so close that I
could smell it...
Cock
◾A cock crowed as morning approached.
◾He cocked a quizzical eyebrow at her.
Commune
◾She lives in a commune.
◾It is a place to commune with other
women.
Compact
◾The students’ rooms were compact,
with a desk, bed, and closet built in.
◾A compact was negotiated between the
company and the union.
Compound
◾Sulphur dioxide is a compound of
sulphur and oxygen.
◾A compound sentence contains two or more
clauses.
Compress
◾Snow falling on the mountainsides is
compressed into ice.
◾Apply a cold compress to the injury.
Conduct
◾ We are conducting a survey of
consumer attitudes towards organic food.
◾The Senator’s conduct is being
investigated by the Ethics Committee.
Conflict
◾Marx points out the potential
conflicts below the surface of society.
◾In other ways the activities of the
councils tend to conflict with regional policy and weaken its effects.
Conscript
◾Young Frenchmen were conscripted into
the army and forced to fight in Algeria.
◾The average number of conscripts in
training has fallen from 80,000 to about 15,000.
Consort
◾Both can take new consorts but only
their daughter can be the new Everqueen.
◾He is known to have consorted with
prostitutes.
Construct
◾They constructed a shelter out of
fallen branches.
◾The list of constructs can be
endless.
Content
◾The content of the media course
includes scripting, editing, and camera work.
◾Andy was a good husband, and Nicky
was clearly very content.
Contest
◾Stone decided to hold a contest to
see who could write the best song.
◾His wife is contesting a seat on the
council.
Contrast
◾While there are similarities in the
two cultures, there are also great contrasts.
◾Her actions and her promises
contrasted sharply.
Convert
◾The stocks can be easily converted to
cash.
◾She is a convert.
Convict
◾She was convicted of shoplifting.
◾There was a report on the news about
an escaped convict.
Cool
◾She swam out into the cool water.
◾When tempers had cooled, he
apologized.
Court
◾Four people will appear in court
today, charged with fraud.
◾His campaign team has assiduously
courted the media.
Homographs examples that start with
D.
Date
◾The date on the letter was 30th
August 1962.
◾She and Ron go to the park to date.
Dear
◾His sister was very dear to him.
◾Come along, my dear, take a seat.
Default
◾The company is in default on its loan
agreement.
◾He defaulted on his child support
payments.
Desert
◾The area of the country Arab is
mostly desert.
◾The village was deserted.
Dice
◾We played dice all night.
◾You move forward according to the
number on the dice.
Digest
◾Most babies can digest a wide range
of food easily.
◾If you’d rather receive your mail in
large batches than have it trickle through, request a digest where available.
Discharge
◾Sewage is discharged directly into
the sea.
◾Nurses visit the mother and baby for
two weeks after their discharge from the hospital.
Discount
◾Employees can buy books at a
discount.
We cannot discount the possibility of
further strikes.
Do
◾You need to do more exercise.
◾We’re having a do to celebrate his
30th birthday.
Down
◾The sun was going down and it would
soon be dark.
◾He down the coffee in one gulp.
Drop
◾The apples are beginning to drop from
the trees.
◾A single drop of blood splashed onto
the floor.
Duck
◾Every afternoon they went to the park
to feed the duck.
◾He had to duck as he came through the
door.
Homographs examples that start with
E.
Effect
◾My parents’ divorce had a big effect
on me.
◾Many parents lack confidence in their
ability to effect change in their children’s behavior.
Exploit
◾Opposition leaders were quick to
exploit government embarrassment over the incident.
◾His courage and exploit were
legendary.
Extract
◾They used torture to extract
information about their families.
◾I’ve only seen short extract from the
film.
Homographs examples that start with
F.
Fall
◾September had come and the leaves
were starting to fall.
◾The area is beautiful in the fall.
Fan
◾He’s a big fan of Elvis Presley.
◾He is turning on the electric fan.
Fast
◾I’m early—my watch must be fast.
◾Gandhi drank some orange juice to
break his threeweek fast.
File
◾Every file on the same disk must have
a different name.
◾We began to file out into the car park.
Finance
◾The project will only go ahead if
they can raise the necessary finance.
◾He took a job to finance his stay in
Germany.
Fine
◾If you want to use cheese instead of
chicken, that’s fine.
◾Offenders will be liable to a heavy
fine.
Fit
◾His clothes did not fit him very
well.
◾You must be very fit if you do so
much running.
Float
◾I wasn’t sure if the raft would
float.
◾We stood and watched the Carnival
float drive past.
Fly
◾The pilot was instructed to fly the
plane to Montreal airport.
◾A fly was buzzing against the window.
Foot
◾My foot hurts.
◾Once again it will be the taxpayer
who has to foot the bill.
Frequent
◾She was a frequent visitor to the
house.
◾We met in a local bar much frequented
by students.
Firm
◾I’m working for a firm of
accountants.
◾These peaches are still firm.
Fly
◾A fly was buzzing against the window.
◾Let’s fly a kite.
Homographs examples that start with G.
Gay
◾I didn’t know he was gay.
◾We don’t see gays being beaten to
death in our country because of their sexuality.
Homographs examples that start with
H.
House
◾Let’s have the party at my house.
◾The museum is housed in the Old Court
House.
Homographs examples that start with
I.
Impact
◾The report assesses the impact of
AIDS on the gay community.
◾The company’s performance was
impacted by the high value of the pound.
Implant
◾Prejudices can easily become
implanted in the mind.
◾The history of implants has been
equally painful; implants can shift or turn themselves upside down.
Incense
◾Incense burned in a corner of the
room.
◾The decision incensed the workforce.
Incline
◾I incline to the view that we should
take no action at this stage.
◾The council houses followed the curve
of the road, which wound up a slight incline.
Increase
◾The population has increased from 1.2
million to 1.8 million.
◾There has been a marked increase in
the use of firearms.
Insert
◾They inserted a tube in his mouth to
help him breathe.
◾These inserts fit inside any style of
shoe.
Insult
◾I have never been so insulted in my life!
◾The crowd was shouting insults at the
police.
Interchange
◾The new program should help solve
some of the problems of data interchange between companies with different
computer systems.
◾There were two identical copies of
each object that were interchanged regularly between trials.
Intimate
◾We’re not on intimate terms with our
neighbors.
◾He was a wartime minister and
intimate of Churchill.
Intrigue
◾There was something about him that
intrigued her.
◾The young heroine steps into a web of
intrigue in the academic world.
Invalid
◾The treaty was declared invalid
because it had not been ratified.
◾She had been a delicate child and her
parents had treated her as an invalid.
Invite
◾They have invited me to go to Paris
with them.
◾Thanks for your invite.
Homographs examples that start with
L.
Lead
Gold is heavier than lead.
The mother duck will lead her
ducklings around.
India lead by 300 runs in the 1st
innings
Learned
◾We all have different learned
responses to anger.
I learned a lot from my father.
Leaves
◾The plane leaves at 11.30.
◾Add a few leaves of fresh basil to
the salad.
Left
◾Look left and right before you cross
the road.
◾The plane left for Paris last night.
Letter
◾There’s a letter for you.
‘B’ is the second letter of the alphabet.
Live
◾We used to live in London.
The match will be live and exclusively telecasting only on
Stars Sports channel
Homographs examples that start with
M.
Manifest
◾For the character to know and
demonstrate their doom, their body must physically manifest the flaw through an
impairment.
◾And I can’t help seeing the manifest
in any case, I’ve always been interested in it.
Match
◾If you suspect a gas leak do not
strike a match or use electricity.
◾Her fingerprints match those found at
the scene of the crime.
Mean
◾What does this sentence mean?
◾He needed to find a mean between
frankness and rudeness.
Might
◾He said he might come tomorrow.
◾I pushed the rock with all my might.
Mind
◾There were all kinds of thoughts
running through my mind.
◾I hope you don’t mind the noise.
Minute
◾I’ll be back in a few minutes.
That is a very minute mistake
Moped
◾There was hardly any traffic, just a
few parked cars and a cluster of mopeds around the door of the bar opposite.
◾The week he died, we all sat around
and moped.
Homographs examples that start with N.
Nail
◾The key was hanging on a nail by the
door.
◾I’ve broken my nail.
Novel
◾I read a lot of novels.
◾What a novel idea!
Number
◾My phone number is 266998.
◾I number her among my closest
friends.
Homographs examples that start with
O.
Object
◾The object of the game is to improve
children’s math skills.
◾His supporters will certainly object
if he is fired.
Offense
◾The new law makes it a criminal
offense to drink alcohol in public places.
◾He played offense for the Chicago
Bulls.
Homographs examples that start with
P.
Palm
◾He held the bird gently in the palm
of his hand.
◾The tropical tree which grows near
beaches or in deserts, with a long straight trunk and large pointed leaves at
the top, is coconut palm.
Park
◾We went for a walk in the park.
◾They had a sheet showing a car park
and also cars to cut out.
Pen
◾Write your essays in pen not pencil.
◾You should pen a letter to the local
paper.
Perfect
◾Well I’m sorry—but nobody’s perfect.
◾Mock trials help students perfect
their legal skills.
Perfume
◾She was wearing too much perfume.
◾One bloom has the power to perfume a
whole room.
Pet
◾They have a pet a dog.
◾He did not pet it, or stroke it: he
stood staring.
Plain
◾The plain fact is that nobody really
knows.
◾The grassy plain gave way to an
extensive swamp.
Play
◾You’ll have to play inside today.
◾On the next play, Johnson ran 15
yards for a touchdown.
Point
◾He’s just saying that to prove a
point.
◾Everything seemed to point in one
direction.
Polish
◾I give it a polish now and again.
Your essay is good, you just need to
polish it a bit.
Pop
◾The eight compilations range from
teen pop to classical.
◾I’ll pop over and see you this
evening.
Present
◾What can I get him for a birthday present?
◾You’ve got to forget the past and
start living in the present.
Produce
◾They were unable to produce any
statistics to verify their claims.
◾The shop sells only fresh local
produce.
Progress
◾We have made great progress in
controlling inflation.
◾The course allows students to
progress at their own speed.
Project
◾The final term will be devoted to
project work.
◾They sought advice on how to project
a more positive image of their company.
Punch
◾These bullets can punch a hole
through 20 mm steel plate.
◾I managed to land a punch on his
chin.
Homographs examples that start with Q.
Quarter
◾It’s a quarter past twelve.
◾I peel and quarter an apple.
Homographs examples that start with
R.
Race
◾There is a race between the two best
runners of the club.
◾We race each other back to the car.
Read
◾Some children can read and write
before they go to school.
◾I was having a quiet read when the
phone rang.
Rebel
◾Some parts of the country fell into
rebel hands.
◾Most teenagers find something to
rebel against.
Recall
◾She could not recall his name.
◾She has amazing powers of recall.
Research
◾He has carried out extensive research
into renewable energy sources.
◾We have to research how the product
will actually be used.
Resume
◾She hopes to resume work after the
baby is born.
◾He gave a resume of the year’s work
and wished the Society another successful year.
Retake
◾Government forces moved in to retake
the city.
◾We had to do a retake before we got
it right.
Right
◾I’m sure I’m right.
◾Take a right turn at the
intersection.
Ring
◾What a beautiful ring!
◾The children sat on the floor in a
ring.
Rock
◾Komuro formed a rock band with some
friends while in college.
◾To build the tunnel, they had to cut
through 500 feet of solid rock.
Rose
◾She has a rose garden.
◾They rose from the table.
Row
◾We sat in a row at the back of the
room.
◾A row has broken out over education.
Ruler
◾I have a 12inch ruler.
◾King Priam was a firm, but just
ruler.
Homographs examples that start with
S.
Saw
◾Saw is a tool that has a long blade
with sharp points along one of its edges.
◾Last night, I saw a lovely girl.
Scale
◾They entertain on a large scale.
◾He somehow managed to scale the sheer
outside wall of the tower.
Second
◾This is the second time it’s
happened.
◾The water flows at about 1.5 meters
per second.
Separate
◾The school is housed in two separate
buildings.
◾Stir the sauce constantly so that it
does not separate.
Ship
◾There are two restaurants on board
ship.
◾The company continues to ship more
computer systems than its rivals.
Sign
◾Headaches may be a sign of stress.
◾You forgot to sign the cheque.
Sink
◾The ships sink to the bottom of the
sea.
◾I felt chained to the kitchen sink.
Slide
◾You can slide the front seats forward
if necessary.
◾The economy is on the slide.
Spoke
◾He drew every spoke in the wheels,
and the whole affair looked as if it had been instantaneously petrified or
arrested.
◾I spoke to her last Wednesday.
Spring
◾I’m sorry to spring it on you, but
I’ve been offered another job.
◾He was born in the spring of 1944.
Stalk
◾He ate the apple, stalk and all.
◾Snatching up my bag, I stalk out of
the room.
State
◾He was in a state of permanent
depression.
◾The Queen is on a state visit to
Moscow.
Stick
◾Don’t stick your fingers through the
bars of the cage.
◾The boys were throwing sticks and
stones at the dog.
Subject
◾I have nothing more to say on the
subject.
◾Biology is my favorite subject.
Suspect
◾If you suspect a gas leak, do not
strike a match or even turn on an electric light.
◾He is the prime suspect in the case.
Homographs examples that start with T.
Tie
◾He had to tie her hands together.
◾I wear a shirt and tie at work.
Tear
◾I’ll tear the package open.
◾She left the room in tears.
Toast
◾I’d like to propose a toast to the
bride and groom.
◾I had a piece of toast for breakfast.
Too
◾He’s far too young to go on his own.
◾“I’m feeling hungry.” – “Me too.”
Trip
◾We went on a trip to the mountains.
◾Someone will trip over that cable.
Type
◾There are three main types of contracts.
◾This letter will need to be typed
again.
Homographs examples that start with
W.
Watch
◾I like watching TV every night.
◾I glanced at my watch.
Wave
◾Huge waves were breaking on the
shore.
◾The people on the bus waved and we
waved back.
Well
◾The conference was very well
organized.
◾The dog fell down a well.
Wind
◾The wind is blowing from the south.
Wind your watch.
Wound
◾He died from the wounds he had
received to his chest.
◾He had been wounded in the arm.
Most of the above mentioned words may
also find in Homonyms as well.