Homonyms from Away to Baling

by Lisa Binion

Homonyms are everywhere. How many of these can you incorporate into what you are writing?

Away and aweigh
Away has several meanings. Sometimes it is an adjective, sometimes an adverb. One of the more common meanings is used to tell distance.
The store is six miles away from her house.
Aweigh, a nautical term, means no longer hooked to the bottom.
”Anchors aweigh!” the captain’s voice boomed throughout the ship.

Awed and odd
To be awed is to be in a state of amazement and wonder.
I am awed by the grace of God.
Odd means different, unusual, out of the ordinary.
Linda’s odd way of dressing made her an outcast among the students.

Awful and offal
Awful means horrible, terrible, or dreadful.
The awful state of affairs in the nation led to unrest among its citizens.
Offal is the parts of a butchered animal considered to be inedible by humans. It also means garbage. There are two pronunciations for this word, one of which makes it a homonym for awful.
Mary’s job was to dispose of the offal.

Aye, eye, and I
Aye means yes.
”Aye,” responded Charlie, “Fred does seem to be in a foul mood today.”
An eye is the organ we see with.
His single eye scanned the room in search of the villain.
I means oneself.
I am a writer.

Bail and bale
Bail is money paid to assure that a person released from custody will return to court at the appointed time.
Thomas’s parents could not pay the required bail to keep him from going to prison.
A bale is a bundle of hay secured together by cords.
We bought a bale of hay for the goats to eat on throughout the winter.

Bailed and baled
These are the past tense of the verb forms of bail and bale.
Thomas’s uncle bailed him out of jail.
On Saturday, Farmer Joe baled the hay.

Bailee, bailey, and bailie
The bailee is the person who receives bail money paid.
Thomas’s uncle paid the bailee.
A bailey is a defensive wall surrounding an outer court of a castle.
The soldiers attacked the bailey.
A bailie is a magistrate.
Kenneth ran for bailie.

Bailer, bailor, and baler
A bailer is one who bails water.
Joseph felt that his job as bailer was menial.
A bailor is the person that gives money or goods to a bailee.
The bailor for Thomas was his uncle.
A baler is one who bales hay.
Ian’s first job was as a baler on his grandfather’s farm.

Bailing and baling
Bailing is to dip water out of a boat or other flooded area.
Bailing out the basement is not my idea of New Year’s Eve fun.
Baling is compressing hay into a bale.
Ian is baling the hay.