This document introduces the resources available for helping to teach homophones and homonyms. The exercises are based around sentences with missing words, all of which have the same sound when spoken by a native English speaker. Some of these eercises provide a common starting sound, some a common ending sound. A few even restrict this to a particular spelling!

Since the exercises are meant to be handed out to students and have them fill in the blanks, they are all provided as plain text files for printing and hand out.

Graded difficulty

While the initial batch of exercises is perhaps a little too small to see the overall plan, the intention is to grade exercise difficulties in two ways -

• By syllable count On the basis that single syllables are in some sense simpler words and more likely to be known than those with more syllables, the primary structuring of exercises is done using this dimension. Unless stated otherwise, each exercise has examples of one syllable count only - 1, 2, 3 even 4!
• By mixed length Reckoning that having to broaden one's range of vocabulary to handle exercises in which examples may have different numbers of syllables, this is the next 'dimension' of difficulty. Multiple word exercises are included under all syllable counts exceeding one!
• By word rarity There are many rare words which may not be widely used - but which are still in use in the English-speaking world. If a particular exercise uses words which are not in common usage then this is flagged by indicating that the exercise is harder.

General rubrics

The following notes encompass the general rubrics which are applicable to all of the exercises in this section of the site.

• These exercises are not suitable for students whose vocabulary is less than about 750 words.
• Unless referred to in the link for a particular exercise all words to be sought are in relatively common usage by people with a vocabulary exceeding about 2,000 words.
• Each exercise consists of 25 individual sentences in which one word is missing.
• Where a word in the homophone group has several potentially different meanings then it may be the answer to more than one of the sentences.
• In some exercises there are alternative spellings for some words; all alternatives are, of course, acceptable answers.
• Harder examples extend the necessary overall vocabulary to at least 10,000 words.

Single syllables

All of the exercises in this group have only single syllable missing words -

1. Words ending in the sound "eel" - as in the English word "eel" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here.
2. Words ending in the sound "ite" - as in the English word "bite" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here.
3. Words ending in the sound "own" - as in the English word "own" itself - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here.
4. Words ending in the sound "oat" - as in the English word "coat" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here.
5. Words ending in the sound "ow" - as in the English word "cow" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here.
6. Words ending in the sound "ore" - as in the English word "sore" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here.
7. Words ending in the sound "orn" - as in the English word "born" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here.
8. Words ending in the sound "ow" - as in the English word "bow" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here.
9. Words ending in the sound "nts" - as in the English word "pants"- using that spelling only. Answers are here.
10. Words ending in the sound "ate" - as in the English word "late" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here. (Harder)
11. Words ending in the sound "ort" - as in the English word "tort" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling. Answers are here. (Harder)
12. Another set of words ending in the sound "nts" - as in the English word "pants" - using that spelling only. Answers are here. (Harder)

Two syllables

The following examples consist of two syllable words exclusively - unless the rubric "mixed" is added.

1. Two syllable words ending in the sound "ter" - as in the English word "banter" - all ending in "ter"! Answers are here.

Three syllables

The following examples consist of three syllable words exclusively - unless the rubric "mixed" is added.

1. THERE ARE NO ENTRIES HERE AT PRESENT

Four syllables

The examples in this section all have four syllables unlesss the rubric "mixed" is added.

1. Words ending in the sound "tor" - as in the English word "tor" - but not of course restricted to that particular spelling - (mixed). Answers are here.

Answers

All of the answers to the examples given here are contained in a single document to which links from individual exercises above are directed.