homophones for the first time

What are homophones?
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meaning and usually different spelling.
Here are some examples that appeared on our facebook page for our full week - in alphabetical order.

          AYE - EYE - I             
aye (adverb) another word for "yes" 

(noun) a vote or voter in support of a suggestion, idea, law, etc.

eye (noun) one of the two organs in your face, which you use to see with

               the evil eye - a magical power to injure or harm people by looking at them
               keep your eye in (AmE) - to continue to be good at a sport or other activity by practising it
I (pronoun) (used as the subject of a verb) the person speaking 

          BEAN - BEEN          
bean (noun) a seed, or the pod containing seeds, od various climbing plants, eaten as a vegetable

               not have a bean (informal) - to have no money
been (verb) 

1 - past participle of "be"           

2- used to mean "visited", "travelled" or "arrived" 

          BE - BEE          
be (verb) used to say something about a person, thing or state, to show a permanent or temporary quality, state, job, etc.

bee (noun) 

1 - a yellow and black flying insect which makes honey and can sting you          

2 - (AmE) a group of people who come together in order to take part in a particular activity

          BLEW - BLUE          
blew (verb) past simple of "blow"
blue (adj) of the colour of the sky without clouds on a bright day, or a darker or lighter type of

              this out of the blue - If something happens out of the blue, it is completely unexpected
              the boys in blue (informal) - a humorous name for the police

          BOARD - BORED          
board (noun) a thin flat piece of cut wood or other hard material used for a particular purpose

               go by the board - to be forgotten or not used
               sweep the board - to win everything that is available
bored (adj) feeling tired and unhappy because something is not interesting or because you have nothing to do
               bored stiff (also bored to death/tears) (informal) - extremely unhappy because something is not interesting or because you have nothing to do

          BRAKE - BREAK           
brake (noun) a device which makes a vehicle go slower or stop, or a pedal , bar or handle which makes this device work 

(verb) to make a vehicle go slower or stop, using its brake
               put a brake on (also put the brakes on) - to slow down or stop an activity
break (verb) to (cause something to) separate suddenly or violently into two or more pieces, or to (cause something to) stop working by being damaged 

               break your back (informal) - to work extremely hard
               break it up (informal) - said to stop people fighting

          BUY - BY - BYE          
buy (verb) to get something by paying money for it 

               buy time - to do something in order to be allowed more time
by (preposition) used to show the person or thing that does something 

bye (exclamation) informal goodbye

          COARSE - COURSE          
coarse (adj) rough and not smooth or soft, or not in very small pieces
course (noun) a set of classes or a plan of study on a particular subject, usually resulting in an examination or qualification
!!!     The correct preposition to use before "course" is "on". Don't say 'to/at/in a course', say "on a course":
     On this course you will learn how to manage your time.

         DYE - DIE          
dye (verb) to change the colour of something using a special liquid
(noun) a substance used to change the colour of something
die (verb) to stop living or existing, either suddenly or slowly
               die of shame informal - to feel extremely ashamed

           FEAT - FEET          
feat - (noun) something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, bravery, etc. to achieve it 

feet - (noun) - plural of "foot"
               get cold feet - to suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to do, especially something important such as getting married
               be dead on your feet - to be very tired

          GRATE - GREAT          
grate (verb) to rub food against a grater (= metal device with sharp holes in it) in order to cut it into a lot of small pieces

(noun) a metal structure which holds coal or wood in a fireplace

great - (adj) very good, extreme
               no great shakes (informal) - not very good

          HI - HIGH          
hi (exclamation) used as an informal greeting, usually to people who you know
high (adj) (especially of things that are not living) being a large distance from top to bottom or a long way above the ground
(adverb) at or to a large distance from the ground

          HOARSE - HORSE          
hoarse (adj) (of a voice or a person) having a rough voice, often because of a sore throat or a cold 

horse (noun) a large animal with four legs which people ride on or use for carrying things or pulling vehicles
               eat like a horse (informal) - to always eat a lot of food 

               (I'm so hungry), I could eat a horse. (humorous) - used to say that you are extremely hungry 

          HOLE - WHOLE          
hole - (noun) an empty space in an object, usually with an opening to the object's surface, or an opening which goes completely through an object
               be in a hole (AmE) (informal) - to be in a difficult or an embarrassing situation 

               be in the hole (AmE) (informal) - to be in debt
whole - (adj) complete or not divided 

(noun) a complete thing
               on the whole - generally 

          IDOL - IDLE          
idol (noun) someone who is admired and respected very much 

idle (adj) lazy; not working or being used;
(verb) If an engine or machine idles, it runs slowly but does not move or do any work
               bone idle (AmE) - extremely lazy 

          KNOW - NO          
know (verb) to have information in your mind
          not know your arse from your elbow (offensive) - to be stupid and unable to understand very simple things 

no (determiner) not any; not are; not a
(adverb) used to give negative answer
(noun) a negative answer or reaction

          MALE - MAIL          
male (adj) describes men or boys,
(noun) a boy, man, or male animal
mail (noun) (AmE - post) the letters and parcels which are sent by post, or the postal system itself
(verb) to send a letter or parcel or email something 

          MEAT - MEET          
meat (noun) [uncountable] the flesh of an animal when it is used for food 

meet (verb) to see and speak to someone for the first time

(noun) (US) a sports event
               meet up - to meet another person in order to do something together

               meet up - If roads or paths meet up, they join at a particular place.
               meet with sth - (formal) to experience something, usually something unpleasant

               meet with sth - to cause a particular reaction or result 

          PANE - PAIN          
pane (noun) a flat piece of glass, used in a window or a door
pain (noun) feeling of physical suffering caused by injury or illness
(verb) If something pains you, it causes you to feel sad and upset
               a pain (in the neck) (informal) - someone or something that is very annoying 

          PAIR - PEAR          
pair (noun) two things of the same appearance and size that are intended to be used together, or something that consists of two parts joined together
               a safe pair of hands - someone who you can trust to do an important job well, without making mistakes
pear (noun) a sweet fruit with a lot of juice and a green skin which has a round base and is slightly pointed towards the stem 

          PEACE - PIECE          
peace (noun) freedom from war and violence, especially when people live and work together happily without disagreements
(noun) calm and quiet; lack of interruption or of being annoyed by worry, problems, noise or unwanted actions
               at peace - a gentle way of saying that someone is dead
piece (noun) a part of something 

          READ - REED          
read (verb) to look at words or symbols and understand what they mean
               read sth out - to read something and say the words aloud so that other people can hear
               read sb's lips - to follow the movements of someone's lips in order to understand what they are saying, especially if you are unable to hear them speak
reed (noun) any of various types of tall, stiff plants like grasses growing together in groups near water 

          RIGHT - WRITE          
right (adj) correct; working correctly
write (verb) to make marks which represent letters, words or numbers on a surface, such as paper or a computer screen, using a pen, pencil or keyboard, or to use this method to record thoughts, facts or messages
               write back phrasal verb - to reply to someone's letter
               

               write sth down phrasal verb - to write something on a piece of paper so that you do not forget it 

!!!     Remember to use the correct grammar after write.
write to someone     eg. Pamela wrote to me last week.
write someone a letter     eg. Pamela wrote me a letter last week.
write someone (AmE)     eg.Rachel wrote me last week. 

          ROAD - RODE - ROWED          
road (noun) a long hard surface built for vehicles to travel along
               hit the road - to leave a place or begin a journey
               take to the road - to start travelling
rode (verb) past simple of "ride"
rowed (verb) past simple and past participle of "row"

          SALE - SAIL          
sale (noun) 

1 - an act of exchanging something for money
2 - an occasion when goods are sold at a lower price than usual
sail (verb) to control a boat that has no engine and is pushed by the wind
               sail close to the wind - to do something that is dangerous or only just legal or acceptable 

          SEA - SEE          
sea (noun) the salty water which covers a large part of the surface of the Earth, or a large area of salty water, smaller than an ocean, which is partly or completely surrounded by landrun away                

               to sea (also go to sea) - (especially of a boy or young man) to leave your family and become a sailor
see (verb) to be conscious of what is around you by using your eyes 

          SAW - SOAR          
saw (verb) past simple of "see"
soar (verb) 

1 - to rise very quickly to a high level
2 - to reach a great height
3 - (of a bird or aircraft) to rise high in the air while flying without moving the wings or using power 

          STEAL - STEEL          
steal (verb) to take something without the permission or knowledge of the owner and keep it
               beg, borrow or steal - to do whatever is necessary to get something
steel (noun) a strong metal which is a mixture of iron and carbon, and which is used for making things which need a strong structure, especially vehicles and buildings
               have nerves of steel - to be very brave 

          SUITE - SWEET          
suite (noun) 

1 - a set of connected rooms, especially in a hotel
2 - a set of furniture for one room, of matching design and colour
sweet - (adjective) (especially of food or drink) having a taste similar to that of sugar; not bitter or salty
(noun) 

1 - (AmE - candy) a small piece of sweet food, made of sugar
2 - US any food with a lot of sugar in it
3 - UK sweet food eaten at the end of a meal
               my sweet (old-fashioned) - a way of talking to someone you love 

          THERE - TREY'RE - THEIR          
there (adverb) 

1 - (to, at or in) that place
2 - used to introduce the subject of a sentence, especially before the verbs be, seem and appear 

they're - short form - they are
their (determiner) of or belonging to them 

          TO - TOO - TWO          
to (preposition) 

1 - used before a verb to show that it is in the infinitive 

2 - used after some verbs, especially when the action described in the infinitive will happen later
3 - used after many verbs of agreeing, needing and wanting
too (adverb) more than is needed or wanted; more than is suitable or enough
two (number) the number 2 

          WAIT - WEIGHT          
wait (verb) to allow time to go by, especially while staying in one place without doing very much, until someone comes, until something that you are expecting happens or until you can do something

               can't wait (also can hardly wait) - to be very excited about something and eager to do or experience it
               wait and see - to wait to discover what will happen
weight (noun) the amount that something or someone weighs 

          WAY - WEIGH          
way (noun) 

1 - a method
2 - a route, direction or path
               be in a bad way (UK) - to be ill, unhappy, or in a bad state
               clear the way - to make it possible for something to happen
weigh (verb) o have a heaviness of a stated amount, or to measure the heaviness of an object 

          WEAK - WEEK          
weak (adj) 

1 - not strong; not strong enough to work, last, succeed, persuade or be effective 

2 - describes a drink that contains a lot of water compared to its other contents, so that it does not have a strong flavour
week (noun) period of seven days, especially either from Monday to Sunday or from Sunday to Saturday 

          WEAVE - WE'VE          
weave (verb) 

1 - to make cloth by repeatedly crossing a single thread through two sets of long threads on a loom (= special frame) 

2 - to twist long objects together, or to make something by doing this
(noun) the way in which cloth has been woven, for example with the threads pulled firmly together, or the pattern produced by this process
we've - short form - we have

USED: Cambridge Advanced Larner's Dictionary (Third Edition)