Confusing Words Clarified: Group P; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc.

The ringing of bells: "We could hear the pealing of the bells after the wedding ceremony."

1. Removing the outer layer of something: "We are peeling the apple with our fancy new apple peeler.""

"Her skin was peeling because of the bad sunburn she got at the beach."

2. The skin of something; such as, the outer skin of fruit that has been removed: "We put the peeling from the apple in the compost."

A song of praise associated with ancient Greece or praise expressed for something in a formal manner: "On our tour of Greece, we attended a ceremony in the amphitheater at which the actors sang a pean to the gods and deities."

"When the president of the company retired, several of his colleagues expressed their pean for his accomplishments."

1. A worker typically indebted to another individual and held in compulsory service to pay off a debt: "My great grandfather came to this country as a peon to the merchant who had paid his fare on the ship."
2. A landless laborer in South America: "The peon hired himself out to the owner of the hacienda in exchange for food and lodging."
3. East Asian workers often associated with the military: "The local village elder enlisted as a peon with the military as an orderly."

1. Someone who is special and unique: "Her friends described her as a pearl among women because she was always gentle and kind."
2. An object formed within the shell of a bivalve or mollusk as the result of the production of layers of secretion which encase an irritating foreign object and is often colored and lustrous: "I discovered a pearl in an oyster while I was eating some of them at dinner."
3. A gem which is made from the covered irritant in a bivalve: "She wore a pearl necklace and earrings with a beautiful pearl on each one."
4. To form small beads resembling the gem from an oyster or bivalve: "The bead of dew hung on the grass reminding me of the pearl in my necklace."

1. To embroider or to stitch with gold and silver thread: "My sister decided to purl a design on her jacket."
2. A swirling stream or gentle murmur: "When we were hiking in the meadow, we came across a purl that looked fresh and inviting so we took off our boots and soaked our feet."

"We could hear the gentle purl of the birds as they were settling in the bushes for the night."

3. A stitch used in knitting, often used in conjunction with a knit stitch to create a smooth surface: "My teacher recited 'knit one, purl one', in hopes that I would learn to knit properly."

1. The foot treadle or leaver that is pressed down to activate the attached machinery: "She pumped the pedal of the organ so it could be played."

"The pedal on my grandmother's sewing machine was fun to use."

2. The action necessary to move a bicycle: "I was going to pedal my bicycle home but I was too tired and decided to push it instead."
3. Of or relating to a treadle or to a foot: "When using my grandmother's old sewing machine, I used my right pedal or foot to press on the pedal which made the whole thing work."

To travel from place to place with items for sale: "My aunt used to peddle household cleaning products in the neighborhood by going from house to house."

One of the leaves of a flower: "The pink petal from the rosebush fell off and was floating on the puddle of water"

1. An individual who approaches teaching in a formal and often unimaginative manner: "Our history teacher is such a pedant that it is hard to concentrate on what he is saying."
2. An individual who flaunts the educational background which has been achieved: "The supervisor impressed me as a pedant because she never failed to mention that she had a Master’s Degree."

1. Something that is suspended or hanging freely: "She wore a lustrous pearl pendent around her neck."
2. Ornamental roofs or ceilings characteristic of Gothic architecture: "The central building at the university appeared to have a pendent roof line."
3. That which is secondary or supplementary: "The last chapter in the book was a pendent added by the author to explain some of the basic information in the text."

A learned individual prone to give opinions in an authoritative manner: "The editor of the newspaper often came across as a pundit when he started talking about ecology and conservation."

1. To inspect closely and intently: "We all tried to peer at the new baby elephant at the zoo."
2. One of equal rank or standing: "He is my peer in terms of years of experience and education."
3. Social equality based on age, grade, or status: "The peer group at my high school was very active in sports."
4. A member of one of several ranks within British aristocracy: "My favorite aunt married an English peer and moved to live with him in his castle in the country."

1. A protective structure extending into a body of water, used for landing boats or as a walk for pedestrians: "The pier at the lake side made a lovely walk in the summer evenings."
2. The structural support between two openings in a wall; such as, two windows: "The large ornate mirror hung in the pier in the dining room and reflected the candle light on the table."
3. A mass of stone, concrete, or steel used to provide support for a wall: "The masons reinforced the wall with a pier of stone and gravel."

1. A long cloak or outer robe, usually of fur or with a fur lining: "Her warm winter pelisse was made of dark wool and lined with beaver fur."
2. A woman's loose light cloak, often with openings for the arms: "I have a plaid pelisse which I wear when I go to the opera."

1. A member of an organization or political unit whose function is to ensure the safety and well being of the community: "The police often come to our school to talk with the students about bicycle safety."
2. A branch of government which is concerned with the maintenance of order and compliance with regulations: "The local police department is responsible for investigating crimes in our community."
3. To monitor and to prevent violations of rules and regulations: "We were asked to police the halls at school on rainy days."

1. The skin of an animal with the fur or hair still on it: "The hunter was in the process of cutting lion's pelt off its body."
2. A stripped animal skin ready for tanning: "He added the pelt of the fox to the others that were going to be prepared for tanning."

1. To strike or to assail repeatedly with or as if with blows or missiles; to bombard: "The boy decided that he was going to pelt the other guys with snowballs."
2. To cast, hurl, or throw objects: "You could see the rioter trying to pelt the police with bottles from the dumpster."
3. To hit against something repeatedly: "Rain and hail pelted the windowpanes for hours."

1. A fenced enclosure for animals: "The sheep were kept in a pen next to the barn."
2. An instrument for writing: "The museum had an exhibition entitled the History of the Pen with examples of a quill pen, a fountain pen, a retractable pen, etc."
3. To write with a specialized instrument that uses ink: "The famous author decided to use a quill to pen his latest poem."
4. A slang term referring to a penitentiary or jail for long term prisoners: "The judge sentenced the gang member to seven years in the pen."

1. An instrument which is used to hold several pieces of material together, typically with a sharp point at one end and a knob on the other: "The seamstress used a long pin to hold the fabric pieces together."
2. One of several wooden pieces that constitute the target in a game: "When I go bowling, I have such poor luck, I am only able to knock one pin over at a time."
3. A peg that is the target for pitching a quoit or metal ring in a game of quoits. “When I pitched the quoit, it landed on the pin and I won the game."
4. The part of the stem of a key that goes into a lock: "I was very upset because I broke the pin of the key and was not able to open the lock."
5. A trifle or something of minor value: "She has just enough pin money to spend when she went shopping."
6. The pole or staff of a flag used to mark the hole in a golf course: "I was aiming for the red pin when it was my turn in the golf tournament."

1. Actions or behaviors that suggest sorrow or regret for a serious transgression: "He went to church every day as a penance for having taken a book from the bookstore without paying for it."

"Her penance for shop lifting in the grocery store was to write an essay on the social costs of shop lifting."

2. A sacramental rite involving contrition, confession of sins to a priest, the acceptance of penalties, and absolution: "The pastor led the rite of penance for those in the congregation who attended."

1. Nautical flags used for identification and signaling: "The ship entered the harbor with all the colorful pennants flying."
2. Flags often associated with a champion or winning sports team: "The pennants of the champion football team were purple and yellow."
3. Flags or banners that taper to a point at one end: "The pennants of the knights who supported the king were hung in the chapel."

1. A tool for writing or drawing that consists of a slender cylinder surrounding a solid center typically made of graphite also known as lead:  "The artist used a fine pencil for her sketches of the countryside."

"The carpenter used a pencil that was flat on one side so it would not roll off her workspace."

2. A small stick of medication or cosmetics for local application: "The doctor gave her a pencil of antibiotic cream to put on the scratches of her arm."
3. A gathering or mass of rays such as sunshine: "A pencil of sunlight came through the wooden blinds of the window in the morning."
4. A collection of geometric objects each pair of which share a common property: "The adjoining cubes shared a pencil border."

Hanging loosely; suspended: "The birds nesting in the barn made pensile nests in the rafters."

A narrow flag, streamer, or pennon; especially, one carried at the top of a lance or spear: "When the knight rode into the tournament, he carried the pencel which had been given to him by his sister fastened onto his lance."

A piece of jewelry that hangs on a chain or a cord which is worn around a person's neck: "She wore a beautiful pendant (or pendent) to the formal dance."

1. A long, thin, pointed flag: "We could see the pennant waving on the tower in the breeze."
2. In U.S. baseball, the prize that is awarded to the champions of the certain leagues each year: "Our local baseball team won the American League pennant this year."

The condition or quality of showing regret for wrongdoing: "Forgiveness requires penitence."

Those who are feeling or expressing remorse for their misdeeds or sins: "The penitents were seeking God's forgiveness."

1. To have written something, often done with a writing instrument which uses ink: "The document was penned and signed by the professors at the university."
2. Animals that have been enclosed in a confined area: "The shepherd penned the animals for the night to protect them from wild animals."

1. Having immobilized or limited the movement of something or someone: "The wrestler was pinned to the canvas by his opponent."
2. To have given a girl a fraternity pin as a token of affection: "He pinned his girl friend as a token of his love for her."
3. Having assigned responsibility for something: "The police pinned the blame for the accident on the driver who was using his cell-phone while driving."
4. To have fastened or joined together: "The pattern for the dress was pinned to the fabric by the seamstress."

Large groups or an undetermined number of individuals: "Thousands of people attended the annual book fair."

A relatively small or exact number of individuals: "There were only fifty persons who won prizes."