Homonyms from Baud to Bier

by Lisa Binion

Here are some more homonyms that begin with the letter b. How many of these are you familiar with?

Baud and bawd
Baud is a telecommunications term. It is a unit used in measuring the speed of data transfer.
Since Melinda lived so far out in the county, the baud rate she received was very low.
A bawd is a woman who runs a brothel.
Jenny’s goal in life had been to be an actress, not a bawd.

Bay and bey
A bay is a body of water that forms an indentation on a shoreline. It is larger than a cove, but smaller than a gulf.
Jerry bought a house right next to the bay.
A bey is a Turkish official.
The president of Iran has a meeting with the bey.

Be and bee
Be has many definitions. One of the meanings of be is to take place, happen, or occur.
The wedding will be on the 5th of September.
A bee is an insect that pollinates flowers; some of them even make honey.
We have had a hive of bees in our backyard for two years now.

Beach and beech
A beach is an area right next to a seashore.
The Carter family is going to the beach for their vacation.
A beech is a type of tree.
Their backyard was full of beech trees.

Beat and beet
One of the definitions of beat is to hit.
Conrad held Derek down on the ground while he beat him.
A beet is an edible red root.
My grandmother would travel miles to purchase a beet.

Beau and bow
A beau is a male friend.
My daughter’s beau is tearing my family apart.
A bow is something curved or arc-shaped.
The ribbon is tied in the shape of a bow.

Beaut and butte
Beaut means someone or something beautiful, amazing, and/or remarkable.
The chess move was a beaut.
A butte is an isolated hill or mountain that rises abruptly above the surrounding land.
The famous butte had been the site for many westerns.

Been and bin
Been is past tense of be.
She had been a writer for 20 years.
A bin is a container.
Molly received a new bread bin as a wedding gift.

Beer and bier
I’m sure all of you know what beer is, but in case you don’t, it is an alcoholic beverage that most people like.
Joe drove to the liquor store to buy a six-pack of beer.
A bier is a temporary stand for a coffin.
It took seven men to place the coffin on its bier.