Homonyms

A homonym is a word that has the same spelling and the same pronunciation as another word, but has a different meaning from it. For example, bill can be a noun meaning a written statement of money owed, but it can also be a noun meaning a bird's beak. Similarly, fair can be an adjective meaning attractive, but it can also be a noun meaning a market. There are many more such words.

A
Adam	The first man			Relating to a decorative style of furniture
adder	One who adds			Common viper
advert	To refer to			Short for advertisement
affect	Have an effect upon			Pretend, feign
ajar	Partly open			At discord
alight	Get down, dismount			On fire
ament	Thong or strap			Person with amentia
amice	Piece of white linen worn by Roman Catholic priests			Hood, cap or cape worn by members of certain religious orders
ancient	Very old			Flag, standard
angle	Inclination of two lines towards each other			To fish with rod and line
arbor	Main shaft or axle			Bower
arch	Curved structure			Self-consciously teasing, roguish or mischievous
are	100 square meter units			Present tense of "to be"
Arian	Follower of Arius of Alexandria			One born under the zodiacal constellation Aries
arm	A weapon	To take up weapons		Upper limb of the human body
armlesss	Destitute of weapons			Without arms
ash	Residue left after burning of something			Forest tree
ashen	Ash-coloured	Relating to ashes		Of or relating to the ash-tree
asses	Plural of ass			Plural of as (Roman copper coin)
axis	Central reference point			Asian deer
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B
back	Opposite to the front	To support		Large tub used in brewing, distilling, dying, etc.
bail	Security, guarantee			Empty a boat of water
bale	A package			Evil, mischief, calamity
ball	A spherical body, globe			Social assembly for dancing
band	A transverse strip, strap	To fasten with a band		Company of musicians	An assemblage of people	To form a band
bandy	Pass or toss to and fro			Crooked, bent outward
bank	Raised shelf or ridge			Establishment which deal in money
bar	A straight length of any material	To exclude		Unit of atmospheric pressure
barb	A recurved point	A sting		A fine breed of horse/pigeon
bard	A minstrel	A poet		A slice of bacon put on meat before roasting
bark	Cry of a dog			Exterior covering of a tree
barker	An auction tout	Vocal advertiser for a circus, etc.		One who strips bark from a tree
barrack	A temporary hut	Building used to house troops		To jeer
barring	Furnishing with bars	Excluding		Except, omitting
base	Lowest part; fundamental			Low in moral scale, unworthy
bass	A type of fish			The inner bark of the lime tree
basset	A type of dog			To crop out at the surface
baste	Moisten a roasting joint with liquid fat, grave, etc.			To sew, tack, fasten together with long stitches
bat	Wooden instrument used to strike ball in cricket or similar games			Small nocturnal flying mammal
bate	With breath held in check			Alkaline lye used in tanning
bath	Container for water or other liquids			Ancient Hebrew liquid measureof about 6½ gallons
batten	A strip of wood			To thrive, prosper
batter	Strike with successive blows	In cooking, a mixture of several ingredients		To incline from the perpendicular with a receding slope
battering	The act of striking or beating			Sloping inwards
battled	Fought			Embattled, protected with battlements
bear	Large mammal			To carry, wear, show or display
beaver	Amphibious rodent mammal			Lower part of a visor
beck	A nod, gesture of the finger or hand			A brook, rivulet
beetle	An insect			A maul, heavy wooden mallet	To jut out, hang over
bell	A musical instrument			Cry of a stag at rutting time
bennet	An herb			A dry grass stalk
bent	An inclination, bias	Disposition		Stiff rushlike grass
bergamot	A citrus tree			A juicy kind of pear
better	One who bets			Superior, more excellent
bill	Statement of particulars of goods delivered or services rendered			Horny beak of birds	An obsolete weapon
billet	Soldier's quarters			Small log or faggot
bit	A small portion			Part of a horse's bridle	A binary unit
bittern	A wading bird			Liquid obtained when sea water is evaporated to obtain salt
blaze	Bright glowing flame			White mark on face of a horse, etc.
bleak	Bare of vegetation	Cold, chilly, desolate		Small river fish
blot	Spot or stain of ink or other discolouring matter			An exposed piece at backgammon
blow	Send directed air, especially from mouth			A stroke with the fist or other weapon
bluff	Having a broad, flattened face or front	Abrupt, blunt, frank		Blinker of a horse	An excuse, a blind	To hoodwink
bogey	In golf, one stroke over par			A spectre; an awkward thing or circumstance
boil	Agitated by the action of heat			A hard, inflamed, suppurating tumour
bole	Stem or trunk of a tree			Clay containing iron oxide
bolt	A short arrow	Roll of fabric		Metal pin	A sieve for separating bran from flour
bombast	High-sounding words	Inflated speech		To stuff out, inflate
bond	Something that binds or confines			In serfdom or slavery
bongo	Small hand drum			A rare antelope
boom	Loud, deep, resonant sound			Long spar to extend the foot of a particular sail
boon	A benefit, blessing			Close, intimate
bore	Perforate, make a hole through			High, fast tidal wave	A tiresome person
boss	A protuberant part			Foreman, manager, chief, leader
botch	A clumsy patch	Bungled piece of work		An ulcerous swelling
botcher	A mender, patcher, bungler			A young salmon
bottle	A glass vessel			A bundle of hay or straw
bound	To leap, spring	A limit, boundry		Under obligation	Prepared, ready
bow	An ornamental knot	A weapon		Bend head forward	Rounded fore-end of a ship or boat
bower	An arbour, shady retreat	The knaves in euchre		The anchors carried in the bows of a ship or boat
bowl	A hollow vessel			Ball used in game of bowls
box	A case with a lid	A small evergreen shrub		To fight with fists or gloves
brack	A flaw or tear in a cloth or dress			Cake or bread containing dried fruit
brake	An appliance for stopping motion	A mass of brushwood, thicket		Instrument for breaking flax or hemp
brash	Impertinent, cheeky; vulgarly assertive			Disintegrated rock or rubble
bravo	Well done!			A hired assassin	A bandit, desperado
brawl	To quarrel noisily			A French dance
bream	A freshwater fish			To clear a ship's bottom of ooze, seaweed, shellfish, etc.
breeze	A light wind	A gadfly		Small cinders and cinder dust
brent	Small wild goose			Steep, precipitous, lofty
bridge	A structure for carrying traffic, etc. over water, ravines, etc.			A card game
brier	A thorny shrub			The white or tree heath
brocket	A stag in its second year			A small South American deer
brook	Small stream			To endure, support, put up with
buck	The male of the fallow deer			The body of a wagon or cart	A sawhorse
budge	To move from one's place			Kind of fur made of lambskin
bug	Small insect			A hobgoblin, bugbear
bugle	A hunting horn	Long, slender glass bead		A creeping plant
bulk	Magnitude of three dimensions			Framework projecting in front of a shop for displaying goods
bull	Uncastrated male bovine mammal			A papal edict	A ludicrous contradiction
bump	A thump, dull, heavy blow			The cry of the bittern
bunt	The middle part of a sail, formed into a cavity			A type of fungus
burn	Consume by fire			A small stream, brook
bush	A thick shrub			Metal lining of an axle-hole or similar
busk	To perform in public for money			Stiffening bone in a corset
bustle	Activity with noise and excitement			Pad, cushion or framework to expand a woman's dress
butt	The hinder end of a tool, weapon, etc.	A large cask	A goal, target	Type of flatfish
buzzard	Large bird of prey			Any large nocturnal insect
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C
cab	Taxi	Driver's compartment in a lorry, etc.		Ancient Jewish measure of capacity
calcar	Glass-making furnace			Spurlike process on a petal or a bird's leg
calender	Cloth or paper press			Mendicant dervish
calf	The young of any bovine animal			Fleshy part at the back of lower leg
calk	To copy by rubbing and tracing			To furnish with a calkin
came	Past tense of COME			Lead strip used in framing glass
camp	Temporary quarters of holidaymakers, explorers, etc.			Affectedly homosexual
can	To be able to			Metal vessel for preserving meat, fruit, etc.
cannon	Heavy mounted gun			A billiards stroke
cant	Hypocritical talk			Slope, inclination
canter	One who uses speaks cant			Easy gallop
canton	A division of a country			To divide into troops or cantons
cape	A sleeveless cloak			Headland projecting into the sea
caper	A frolicsome leap			A prickly shrub
capital	Principal, chief, most important			The head of a pillar
capsid	Any bug of the family Miridae			Outer case of some viruses
card	Stiff paper or thin cardboard			Toothed instrument for combing wool
carp	Freshwater fish			Talk querulously
case	An instance, occurrence			Box, chest or other container
cashier	A person in charge of cash			Dismiss from service
cassation	Annulment, abrogation			18th-century instrumental composition
cat	Any feline animal			Coal and timber vessel
catty	Spiteful, malicious			South East Asian unit of weight
chafer	A person who chafes			A type of beetle
chaff	The husks of grain			Common European bird
channel	Tube or duct, natural or artificial			A plank used for spreading the rigging of a ship
chap	Cause to crack or open in long slits			A fellow (coll.); the jaws, mouth and cheeks, chops
char	To burn slightly			A small fish; a charwoman
charm	A power or gift of alluring			A confusion of voices
chase	To pursue	To engrave		A printing frame	A wide groove
chat	Easy, familiar talk			A small bird
chatty	Talkative			Indian earthen pitcher
check	A test for accuracy, quality, etc.			A chequered pattern
chess	A board game			Parallel timber of a pontoon bridge
chick	A young bird			Bamboo door screen
chime	Sound of bells			Edge of a cask or tub
chine	Spine of any animal	Cut or break the backbone of		A deep and narrow ravine
chink	A narrow cleft or crevice			A jingling sound
chit	A child			A voucher for money owed
chlorite	A green silicate mineral			A salt of chlorous acid
chop	Cut with a sharp blow	Suddenly change direction		The jaw of an animal	Eastern official stamp or seal
chord	Simultaneous sounding of notes of different pitch			A straight line joining the extremities of an arc
chuck	Holding device on a lathe or drill			The call of a hen to her chickens
clamp	A frame for holding pieces of wood, etc. together			A heap of turf	A heavy footstep or tread
cleave	To split apart			To stick, adhere
clinker	Vitrified slag			A clinch nail
clip	Cut with shears or scissors			An appliance for gripping
clock	An instrument for measuring time			Ornamental pattern on leg of a stocking
clove	Dried flower bud of the tree Eugenia aromatica used as a spice			A bulblet of garlic, shallot, etc.
club	A piece of wood used as a weapon			An association of persons
clutch	A snatch, grip, grasp			A set of eggs to be hatched
cobble	Rounded stone or pebble used for paving			To mend or patch (especially shoes)
cock	The male of birds	Act of turning/sticking anything upwards, e.g. a hat		A small conical pile of hay
cockle	A bivalve mollusc	The corncockle		To curl, pucker up	A heating stove
cod	A deep-sea fish			A husk or pod
codling	A young cod			A long, tapering kind of apple
colon	A punctuation mark			Part of the intestinal canal
coma	A state of unconsciousness			Covering of the nucleus of a comet
companion	A comrade			Raised window frame on quarterdeck of a ship
conjugate	To inflect (a verb) by going through the voices, moods, tenses			Joined in pairs, coupled
consociate	Associated together			To unite
continent	A large continuous tract of land			Able to control one's bladder and bowel movements
cope	To deal with	Ecclesistical sleeveless vestment		To buy; barter
corn	Grain; the seed of cerals			A horny excrescence on hand or foot
cornet	A brass musical instrument			Lowest commissioned cavalry officer
corona	A halo round the sun or moon			A long cigar
corporal	Non-commissioned army officer			Relating to the body
cosmos	The universe			Plant of genus Cosmos
couch	A long upholstered seat			Couch grass
count	Reckon up in numbers			A title of rank
counter	Table or desk over which business is conducted			The opposite, contrary
covert	Disguised, secret, private			A place which covers and shelters
cow	Any female bovine animal			To intimidate
crag	A rugged rock			Shelly deposits
cramp	A spasmodic contraction			A cramp-iron, clamp
crane	A long-necked bird			A hoisting machine
crank	An elbow-shaped brace	An eccentric		Liable to capsize
crash	To cause to hit something with great force			A coarse linen cloth
crawl	Move slowly on hands and knees			Enclosure for keeping fish, turtles, etc.
crew	The sailors on a ship or boat			Past tense of CROW
cricket	An outdoor game	A grasshpper-like insect		A low, wooden stool
crimp	To curl or put waves into (hair)			A decoy, disreputable agent
croup	The rump, buttocks			Inflammation of the larynx and trachea
crow	A large black bird			Make a loud cry like a cock
crowd	A number of persons or things collected closely together			An old violin-like instrument
cue	A signal, hint, reminder			Wooden rod used in snooker, pool, etc
cuff	The fold or band at the end of a sleeve			To strike with the open hand
culm	A stem, especially of grass or sedge			Anthyracite coal
curate	An assistant to a parish priest			To act as a curator
curry	A highly spiced Indian dish			To groom (a horse) with a curry-comb
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D
dab	To strike gently with some soft substance			A small flatfish
dam	A bank or mound for keeping back water			A female parent
dan	A martial art proficiency grade	A small deep-sea buoy		A title of respect
date	A fixed point in time			The fruit of the date palm
deal	A bargain, a piece of business			A plank of fir or pine
defer	To put off, postpone			To yield to the opinion of another
demean	To debase (oneself)			To conduct (oneself), to behave
dent	A depression			A tooth of a wheel, cog
dib	To dap (let fall lightly)	A sheep's knuckle-bone		A children's game
dick	A fellow or person			A declaration
die	To lose life, expire			A dice
diet	A prescribed course of food			A legislative assembly
diligence	Steady application or assiduity			A public stagecoach
distemper	A coloured painting preparation			A catarrhal disorder affecting dogs, foxes, etc.
divine	Relating the nature of God, a god, or gods			To find out by inspiration or magic
dock	An artificial basin for ships	Enclosure for prisoners in a court		Plant of the genus Rumex	To cut the tail off
dodder	To shake, tremble, totter			A plant of the genus Cuscuta
dole	Unemployment benefit			Sorrow, lamentation
don	Fellow or tutor of a college			To put on (clothing)
dong	To make the sound of a large bell			Unit of currency of Vietnam
dory	A type of sea fish			Small flat-bottomed boat
dot	A little mark, spot or speck made with a pen, etc.			A dowry
double	Composed of two, in a pair or pairs			Twice as many
down	Towards the ground	Soft plumage of young birds		A tract of upland
doxy	A female lover			Opinion, especially in religious matters
drake	The male of the duck	The mayfly		A dragon
dredge	Apparatus for dragging underwater to bring up objects			To sprinkle (flour, etc.)
drum	A musical instrument			A long, narrow ridge of drift
dub	Confer knighthood upon	To give a new soundtrack		A deep pool in a stream
duck	A water bird	To dive, dip under water		To bob the head	A kind of untwilled linen
dudgeon	Anger, sullen resentment, indignation			The root of the box tree
dug	That has been dug			A teat, a nipple of an animal
dump	A pile of refuse			A cointer used in playing chuck-farthing
dun	To demand payment with persistence			A hill, mound, earthwork
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E
ear	The organ of hearing			A seed-bearing head of corn
earnest	Serious, grave			A pledge, assurance or token of something to come
egg	An ovum or germ-cell			To incite, urge
elder	Older; senior in position			Tree of the genus Sambucus
embattle	To array in order of battle			To furnish with battlements
ember	A smouldering piece of coal or wood			An anniversary, a recurring time or season
embrace	To enfold in the arms			To fasten or fix with a brace
embracer	One who embraces			One who tries to corrupt a jury by embracery
entrain	To draw after, to bring as a consequence			To put into a railway train; to get into a train
erg	A unit of work done			An area of shifting sand dunes
ergotism	The disease of ergot in grasses			Arguing, wrangling
euro	An Australian wallaby			Currency of European Union
even	Level, smooth, uniform	To make smooth or level		To a like degree, equally
exact	Precisely agreeing in amount, number or degree			To compel to be paid or surrendered
exit	A passage or door, a way out			To depart, to leave a place
exon	A corporal of the Yeomen of the Guard			A segment of a gene consisting of codons
explicit	Plainly expressed, distinctly stated			An old word equivalent to 'finis', 'the end'
express	Direct, explicit, definitely show or stated			To set out, to represent, to put into words
eye	The organ of vision			To watch, to observe
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F
faction	A body of persons combined or acting in union			Literary etc. work which blends fact with fiction
fail	Not to succeed			A turf, sod
fair	Just, reasonable, legitimate	Light in colour		Passably good	A funfair; a market
fake	To pretend, simulate			One of the coils of a rope or cable when laid up
fallow	Unused, neglected			Of a pale brownish or reddish-yellow colour
fan	A ventilation or cooling instrument			An enthusiastic admirer
fast	Swift, rapid, moving quickly	Firmly fixed, firm, tight		To abstain from food
fawn	A young deer			To court in a servile manner, grovel, cringe
feat	A notable act or performance			Dexterous, skilful
feint	A sham attack; a pretence			(Of ruled lines on paper) light, faint
fell	Past tense of FALL	To hew or cut down		The hide or skin of an animal	A rocky hill
felon	One who has committed a felony			A whitlow or abscess close to the nail
felt	Past tense of FEEL			A kind of cloth
ferret	A variety of polecat			A tape made of silk or cotton
fetch	To go for and bring back			A wraith or double
feud	Hostility between two tribes or families			Land held on condition of performing certain services
fig	Fruit of the genus Ficus			To dress, deck, rig
file	A box or folder in which documents are kept in order			An instrument for cutting and smoothing metal, wood, etc.
fine	Excellent in quality, form or appearance			A sum of money imposed as a penalty
fingering	The act of touching with the fingers			A thick, loose, woolen yarn used for knitting
firm	Fixed, stable, steady			A business partnership
fish	A cold-blooded vertebrate water animal	To try to catch fish		A flat piece of wood or iron etc. used to strengthen a beam etc.
fisk	The Crown Treasury of Scotland			To bustle
fit	Adapted, suitable, appropriate	A violent seizure		A short canto or division of a poem
flag	A banner, ensign, standard	To lose strength or vigour	A paving stone	Plant of the genus Iris	Quill-feather of a bird's wing
flageolet	A small wind instrument			A kind of French bean
flake	A thin piece peeled off; a thin scalelike fragment			A rack for drying fish
flanch	A flange			To slope inwards towards the top of a chimney
flat	Having a level and even surface			A set of rooms on one floor forming a residence
flatter	More flat			To praise falsely or unduly
flaw	A defect, imperfection			A sudden puff or gust
fleet	A body of ships	Swift, nimble, rapid		Shallow	A creek, inlet
flex	To bend or cause to bend			Flexible insulated wire
flicker	To shine unsteadily			North American woodpecker of genus Colaptes
flight	The act of flying through the air			The act of fleeing
flock	A collection of animals			A tuft of wool, cotton, hair, etc.
flounce	To move abruptly or violently			A gathered piece of cloth sewed into a dress, petticoat, etc.
flounder	A flatfish, Pleuronectes flesus			To struggle or stumble about violently
flue	A passage or tube by which smoke can escape	Light down or fur		A kind of fishing net	To widen or spread out
fluke	A lucky chance	A parasitic worm		The broad holding portion of an anchor
flush	To redden up, blush	To flow swiftly		Level, even	A hand of cards	To take wing
fly	A two winged insect			To move through the air with wings
fob	A chain by which a pocket watch is carried			To cheat, to impose upon
fog	A dense watery vapour			A second growth of grass after first cutting
foil	Very thin sheet metal	To baffle, to frustrate		A straight thin sword
fold	A pen or enclosure for sheep			To double or lay one part over another
font	A baptism vessel			A set of type face
fool	A person without common sense			A crushed fruit and cream dish
forge	To counterfeit	To form by heating and hammering		To move steadily (forward or ahead)
former	Preceding in time			A person or thing that forms
found	Past tense of FIND	To set up or establish		To cast by melting and moulding
founder	A person who founds	A person who casts metal		(of a ship) to fill with water and sink
frail	Fragile, delicate			A rush basket used for packing figs, etc.
fray	To wear away by rubbing			A noisy quarrel, a brawl, riot
free	At liberty			To set at liberty
fret	To be worried	To ornament		A ridge on the fingerboard of a guitar, etc.
frieze	Part of an entablature			A coarse woolen cloth
frizzle	To form (into) crisp, tight curls			To fry with a hissing noise
frog	An amphibian of the order Anura	A spindle-shaped button		A tender horny substance on sole of a horse's foot
fry	To cook with hot fat or oil in a pan			Young fish
fudge	A soft sweet of chocolate, candy, etc.			To deal with in a makeshift way
full	Filled up, replete			To cleanse and thicken (cloth)
fuller	More full	A person who fulls cloth		A blacksmith's tool
funny	Amusing, causing mirth or laughter			A narrow, clinker-built pleasure boat
further	More remote; more advanced			To help forward, to advance, promote
fuse	To melt; reduce to a liquid by heat			A detonating device
fusil	An obsolete firelock, lighter than a musket			A bearing resembling a lozenge
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