Homonyms are words which are identical in sound but different in meaning: as, be, bee; hear, here; blue, blew.

Exercises

418. Use the following homonyms orally in order to show that you understand their meaning and that you can pronounce them accurately. You may employ some of them in phrases and some in sentences.

1. climb, clime.

2. coarse, course.

3. colonel, kernel.

4. crews, cruise.

5. dew, due.

6. die, dye.

7. fair, fare.

8. find, fined.

9. fir, fur.

10. fore, four.

11. gait, gate.

12. grate, great.

13. hail, hale.

14. hair, hare.

15. heal, heel.

16. hear, here.

17. heard, herd.

18. hole, whole.

19. idle, idol.

20. instance, instants.

21. knew, new.

22. knight, night.

23. lain, lane.

24. lead, led.

25. main, mane.

26. mean, mien.

27. meat, meet.

28. might, mite.

29. oar, ore.

30. one, won.

31. ought, aught.

32. pail, pale.

33. pain, pane.

34. pair, pare, pear.

35. pause, paws.

36. peace, piece.

37. plain, plane.

38. pore, pour.

39. pray, prey.

40. quarts, quartz.

41. rap, wrap.

42. read, reed.

43. right, rite, write.

44. road, rode, rowed.

45. sail, sale.

46. seam, seem.

47. serf, surf.

48. sew, so.

49. soar, sore.

50. shear, sheer.

51. stair, stare.

52. stake, steak.

53. steal, steel.

54. tale, tail.

55. tear, tier.

56. too, to, two.

57. vane, vein, vain.

58. wait, weight.

59. way, weigh.

60. weak, week.

419. Be prepared (1) to spell orally from dictation any of the foregoing words together with their homonyms; (2) to write them.

420. Write sentences containing these groups of the foregoing homonyms: 2, 7, 9, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 37, 41, 43, 44, 56, 57. Add to this list any other homonyms that you are liable to confuse.

Note. Try to use sentences that will help you remember the precise meaning of each word. For example: "If you two are not likely to go to town too soon, I will plan to go too." (What part of speech is each word in italics?)

421. Write the following words in columns, and opposite each place an appropriate homonym: aisle.

aloud.

ate.

awl.

bale.

bald.

bare.

baron.

base.

bate.

bawl.

beach.

beet.

belle.

bight.

blew.

bored.

bow.

brake.

bred.

buoy.

bury.

butt.

buy.

canvas.

cede.

cell.

choir.

cite.

dust.

feat.

flour.

heir.

hymn.

I

inn.

ours.

sea.

thee.

wrings.