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Again, as with homophones , the context of what you're saying or reading will give you the clues you need to know which word to use. It would be a worry, for example, if the jazz trio turned up with a fish (bass) instead of the necessary stringed instrument (bass)! Or if someone deserted (abandoned) you in the desert (sandy place).
Here are just 50 of the more 'notorious' ones. I've given the pronunciation for each word, CAPITAL letters indicate which syllable to place the stress on.
Strictly speaking, words which have the same spelling and different pronunciation like lead ('leed', to guide) and lead ('led', the metal) are heteronyms, and words which have the same spellings and the same pronunciations (like change and change) are homographs, but I'm lumping them all in together here. Also, quite a few of these words have many more than one or two definitions, but I've restricted it to just two in these cases.
| Homograph | Pronounced | Definition 1 | Pronounced | Definition 2 |
| absent | AB-sent | (adj) away, not present | ab-SENT | (verb) stay or go away |
| bass | baah-ss | (noun) freshwater fish | bay-ss | (noun) lowest singing voice, largest stringed instrument |
| bat | bat | (noun) implement used to hit a ball | bat | (noun) nocturnal flying mammal |
| bow | bou | (noun) knot tied with loops for decorative effect, weapon for shooting arrows | b-ouw | (verb) bend the upper part of the body as a sign of respect |
| buffet | buff-et | (verb) strike repeatedly | buff-fay | (noun) dishes which guests serve themselves |
| can | can | (verb) be able to | can | (noun) cylindrical tin |
| change | change | (verb) make different | change | (noun) money given in balance of the amount paid, clean clothes |
| close | clou-ss | (adj) nearby | clou-ze | (verb) shut, slam, cease trading |
| console | CON-sole | (noun) unit with controls for a device | con-SOLE | (verb) comfort at time of grief |
| content | CON-tent | (noun) subject matter | con-TENT | (adj) state of calm happiness |
| convict | CON-vict | (noun) prisoner | con-VICT | (verb) find someone guilty |
| cool | kool | (adj) of fairly low temperature, excellent, fashionable | kool | (verb) make something colder, calm down |
| defect | DE-fect | (noun) flaw | de-FECT | (verb) go over to the enemy |
| desert | DE-zert | (noun) waterless sandy region | de-ZERT | (verb) abandon treacherously |
| digest | DI-gest | (noun) summary of information | di-GEST | (verb) break down food in the stomach |
| does | duz | (verb) carries out | doe-z | (noun) female deer, rabbits, or kangaroos |
| down | daun | (adverb) in lower place | daun | (noun) soft fluffy feathers |
| dove | duv | (noun) stocky bird | dou-v | (verb) plunged into water |
| entrance | EN-trance | (noun) door in | en-TRANCE | (verb) fill with wonder |
| excuse | ex-CUSE | (noun) reason, pretext | ex-CUZ | (verb) forgive, let off |
| exploit | EX-sploit | (noun) daring deed | ex-SPLOIT | (verb) make full use of, prey on |
| fine | fine | (adj) of top quality, in good health | fine | (noun) financial penalty |
| import | IM-port | (noun) item brought in from abroad for sale, implicit meaning | im-PORT | (verb) buy from abroad |
| incense | IN-cense | (noun) perfume that is burned | in-CENSE | (verb) send into a rage |
| intimate | IN-tim-ate | (adj) closely acquainted, friendly, private | in-tim-ATE | (verb) make known, hint |
| invalid | IN-valid | (noun) person disabled by illness | in-VALID | (adj) not valid, untrue |
| lead | leed | (verb) guide, be ahead | led | (noun) soft metal |
| learned | learn-ed | (adj) scholarly, well educated | lernd | acquired knowledge |
| live | lie-v | (adj) living | li-v | (verb) remain alive, reside |
| minute | MIN-ut | (noun) 60 seconds | mine-UTE | (adj) extremely tiny |
| moped | mope-d | (verb) languished, brooded | MO-ped | (noun) light motor cycle |
| object | OB-ject | (noun) a thing | ob-JECT | (verb) protest, oppose |
| perfect | PER-fect | (adj) faultless | per-FECT | (verb) improve something |
| permit | PER-mit | (noun) authorisation, document | per-MIT | (verb) officially allow |
| present | PRE-sent | (adj) in attendance, gift | pre-SENT | hand over, introduce |
| proceeds | PRO-ceeds | (noun) money from an event | pro-CEEDS | begins, goes |
| project | PRO-ject | (noun) scheme, assignment | pro-JECT | (verb) forecast, throw |
| protest | PRO-test | (noun) objection, demonstration | pro-TEST | (verb) raise objection |
| read | reed | (noun) period of reading | red | (verb) had perused written material (past participle) |
| refuse | RE-fuse | (noun) rubbish, trash | re-FUSE | (verb) turn down |
| reject | RE-ject | (noun) substandard goods | re-JECT | (verb) refuse, spurn |
| resume | RE-sume | (verb) restart | RE-sue-may | (noun) curriculum vitae |
| rose | rose | (noun) flower with thorns | rose | (verb) moved upwards |
| row | roh | (noun) things in a straight line, (verb) move a boat with oars | rauw | noisy quarrel |
| sewer | so-wer | (noun) someone who sews | sue-er | (noun) underground pipe for waste |
| subject | SUB-ject | (noun) topic | sub-JECT (to) | (adj) affected by |
| tear | teer | (noun) teardrop shed when crying | tare | (verb) rip up |
| transport | TRAN-sport | (noun) system of mass transit | trans-PORT | (verb) convey from one place to another, overwhelm with joy |
| wave | wave | (verb) move hand in greeting | wave | (noun) breaking curve of water |
| wound | woo-nd | (noun) injury | wow-nd | twisted up, turned |
| yard | yard | (noun) linear measurement | yard | (noun) enclosed area of land |
You might have noticed that in many of these homographs, often when the accent is on the first syllable, the words are nouns or adjectives, and when it is on the second syllable the word is a verb.
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