We’re giving your brain a good workout this week with exercise tips on how to effectively study vocabulary. One of the things about the English vocabulary that confuses non-native (and many native!) speakers is the multitude of words that are spelled the same and are pronounced in the same way, but which have two or more meanings, depending on the context in which they are used.

These words are called “homonyms” (from the Greek homos meaning ‘the same’ and onoma meaning ‘name’). In linguistics, the words may also be classified as “polysemes” (from the Greek poly meaning ‘many’ and seme meaning ‘sign’) depending on whether the meanings are related (homonyms) or completely different (polysemes). In general usage, however, they’re merely referred to as homonyms.

The following examples of homonyms all relate to weights and measurements, at least in one sense, though their alternate usages may have nothing in common.

pound = a unit of weight (noun)
Sarah went to the grocer’s to buy a pound of coffee beans.

pound = a unit of British currency (noun)
She kept a single pound coin as a keepsake of her visit to London.

pound = to strike hard and repeatedly (verb)
Mark picked up the mallet and prepared to pound the stake into the ground.

pound = to beat or throb (verb)
Watching action movies always makes my heart pound harder.

foot = a unit of measurement (noun)
Deli sandwiches such as the hero, hoagie, and sub are often over a foot long.

foot = the appendage at the end of a leg (noun)
Carol broke a bone in her foot when she kicked the door.

foot = the bottom end of something (noun)
My cat likes to sleep at the foot of the bed.

foot = to pay for (verb)
Order whatever you like – my boss promised to foot the bill for this dinner.

inch = a unit of measurement (noun)
Yesterday an inch of rain fell in less than an hour, and many streets were flooded.

inch = to move very slowly (verb)
She spent three hours inching up in the line for the customer service window, but when she got there, the cashier went on his afternoon break.

yard = a unit of measurement (noun)
Michael bought three yards of fabric to use as a backing on his quilt.

yard = an enclosed area attached to one or more buildings (noun)
The inmates get at least an hour of exercise each day in the prison yard.

Keep a list of the homonyms you encounter for study and review, and you’ll quickly be able to measure your progress in improving and expanding your English vocabulary.