Homophones, Homonyms, and Homographs

Which sentence uses the correct word? My friends are waiting over ____.

• their

• there

• they're

• thar

Answer explanation

The correct word is 'there,' which indicates a place. 'Their' is a possessive pronoun, and 'they're' is a contraction for 'they are'.

In the sentence, 'The soldier swore he would not desert his team,' what does the word 'desert' mean?

• A dry, sandy place

• A sweet food served after a meal

• To abandon or leave behind

• To be worthy of something

Answer explanation

In this context, the homograph 'desert' (pronounced di-ZURT) is a verb meaning to abandon. The noun 'desert' (DEZ-ert) refers to a dry region.

Read the sentence: 'The county fair had a Ferris wheel and lots of food stalls.' Which meaning of 'fair' is being used?

• Treating people equally

• Light in color, like hair or skin

• An outdoor event for entertainment

• Neither good nor bad; average

Answer explanation

The context of a 'Ferris wheel' and 'food stalls' indicates that 'fair' refers to a public event or festival, which is one meaning of this homonym.

Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'I have ___ many video games to play this weekend.'

• to

• too

• two

• tew

Answer explanation

The correct word is 'too,' which means 'also' or 'excessively.' 'To' is a preposition, and 'two' is the number 2.

Sort these word pairs into the correct category: Homophones or Homographs.

Groups:

(a) Homophones

,

(b) Homographs

• their / there

• read / read

• lead / lead

• flour / flower

Answer explanation

Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently (flour/flower, their/there). Homographs are spelled the same but may have different meanings and pronunciations (lead/lead, read/read).

Match the homograph to the sentence that shows one of its meanings.

• He plays the ___ guitar in a rock band.

• close

• Don't stand so ___ to the edge of the cliff.

• wind

• The concert will be broadcast ___ on TV.

• bass

• Please ___ up the kite string before we go.

• live

Answer explanation

Each sentence uses a specific pronunciation and meaning of the homograph: 'wind' (rhymes with 'find'), 'live' (rhymes with 'hive'), 'close' (rhymes with 'dose'), and 'bass' (rhymes with 'base').

Choose the correct words to complete the sentence: '___ going to be late if ___ car doesn't start.'

• Your / you're

• You're / your

• Your / your

• You're / you're

Answer explanation

The first blank needs 'You're' (you are). The second blank needs the possessive 'your' to show ownership of the car.

Sort these sentences based on the meaning of the homonym 'pen'. The categories are: Writing Tool or Animal Enclosure.

Groups:

(a) Writing Tool

,

(b) Animal Enclosure

• I need a blue pen to sign the form.

• We built a new pen for the chickens.

• The pigs were kept in a muddy pen.

• She wrote the note with a gel pen.

Answer explanation

The sentences are sorted by the two different meanings of the homonym 'pen': an instrument for writing, and a small fenced area for keeping animals.

Which sentence correctly uses 'its' or 'it's'?

• The dog wagged it's tail happily.

• Its a beautiful day outside!

• The cat is cleaning its fur.

• I think its going to rain soon.

Answer explanation

'Its' is a possessive pronoun (like his/her). 'It's' is a contraction for 'it is'. The cat possesses the fur, so 'its' is correct.

Match the homograph to its pair of definitions.

• A tiny amount OR sixty seconds of time

• Tear

• Water from the eye OR to rip something

• Minute

• A physical item OR to protest or disagree

• Lead

• A heavy metal OR to guide or be in front

• Object

Answer explanation

Each homograph is matched with two of its distinct meanings, which often have different pronunciations (e.g., OB-ject vs. ob-JECT).