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Upper Primary School English Quiz - Vocabulary 14 - Homonyms (Questions)

Some words, such as LEAD, BEAR, FLEE and ALOUD, have a special place in the English language. These words come under the broad category of words called HOMONYMS. Homonyms have either the same spellings or the same pronunciation but different meanings.

The category of words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings (and may have different pronunciations) is called Homographs. Two examples of homographs are LEAD and BEAR:

LEAD can mean 'to guide' but is also a poisonous type metal.
A BEAR is a large mammal but BEAR can also mean 'carry' or 'tolerate'.

The category of words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings is called Homophones. Two examples of homophones are FLEA/FLEE and ALLOWED/ALOUD:

[readmore]A FLEA is a parasitic insect which sucks blood from animals whilst FLEE means 'run away'.
ALLOWED means 'permitted' whilst ALOUD means 'audible'.

Some of the words have more than two meanings. Some of the words are homophones in one country whereas they are not homophones in another country (ROUT and ROUTE are pronounced the same in the USA for example, but differently in the UK).

Homographs are differentiated in written English by understanding the context in which the word is used. Homographs with different pronunciations can be easily identified in spoken English.

Homophones, on the other hand, may be easily identified in written English if their spellings are different, but can only be identified in spoken English by understanding the context in which the word is used while speaking.

Homonyms and the sub-categories, homophones and homographs, are words that make the language more interesting and versatile. Take the quiz that follows and enlarge your vocabulary by learning more homonyms.
1. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] Hearing Mr Arun Jaitley it can be discerned he has a flair for the English language.
[ ] Hearing Mr Arun Jaitley it can be discerned he has a flare for the English language.
[ ] The distressed ship sent a flair into the sky to grab attention.
[ ] The paper caught the fire and turned into a flair.
2. Choose the homograph that is connected with golf and grammar.
[ ] Colon
[ ] Comma
[ ] Pronunciation
[ ] Putting
3. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] The victim let out a grown as the policeman struck him harshly.
[ ] The teacher said, "Rohan, you are a groan boy, behave yourself."
[ ] The teacher said, "Rohan, you are a grown boy, behave yourself."
[ ] His wife told him as a groan man you should not have beaten the child.
4. Choose the homograph that is connected with hurt and a mechanical timepiece.
[ ] Hands
[ ] Mainspring
[ ] Injury
[ ] Wound
5. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' is the name of a Jack Nicholson movie.
[ ] My son has contracted the flu and he will not attend school today.
[ ] A flue should be provided in the kitchen to carry off the fumes generated while cooking.
[ ] All three are correct.
6. Choose the homograph that is connected with food and grouping of information.
[ ] Digest
[ ] Stomach
[ ] Telephone
[ ] Desert
7. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] His film was certified for adults only by the sensor board.
[ ] The movie was not cleared by the sensor and it could not be released.
[ ] The technician diagnosed the problem to a faulty sensor.
[ ] The technician diagnosed the problem to a faulty censor.
8. Choose the homograph that is connected with transport and sadness.
[ ] Sorrow
[ ] Cycle
[ ] Moped
[ ] Bus
9. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] The road between Bengaluru and Mysuru is clogged with heavy traffic.
[ ] I rode my brand new motorbike at a high speed to impress my friends.
[ ] Mustaq was able to save his friend from coming to harm as he rowed him back on his boat.
[ ] All three are correct.
10. Choose the homograph that is connected with denial and waste.
[ ] Refuse
[ ] Dirt
[ ] Reject
[ ] Rubbish
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Upper Primary School English Quiz - Vocabulary 14 - Homonyms (Answers)
1. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[x] Hearing Mr Arun Jaitley it can be discerned he has a flair for the English language.
[ ] Hearing Mr Arun Jaitley it can be discerned he has a flare for the English language.
[ ] The distressed ship sent a flair into the sky to grab attention.
[ ] The paper caught the fire and turned into a flair.
'Flair' and 'flare' are homophones. Answers 3 and 4 should have used 'flare.' 'Flair' is natural ability, talent or aptitude whilst a 'flare' is a sudden bright flame
2. Choose the homograph that is connected with golf and grammar.
[ ] Colon
[ ] Comma
[ ] Pronunciation
[x] Putting
'Putting' is a homograph. 'Putting' is the act of sending a golf ball into the hole on the green. 'Putting' is also the present participle of the verb 'put'
3. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] The victim let out a grown as the policeman struck him harshly.
[ ] The teacher said, "Rohan, you are a groan boy, behave yourself."
[x] The teacher said, "Rohan, you are a grown boy, behave yourself."
[ ] His wife told him as a groan man you should not have beaten the child.
'Grown' and 'groan' are homophones. Answer 1 should have used 'groan' and Answer 4 should have used 'grown.' 'Grown' is to have advanced in growth whereas a 'groan' is a sound uttered when in pain or distress
4. Choose the homograph that is connected with hurt and a mechanical timepiece.
[ ] Hands
[ ] Mainspring
[ ] Injury
[x] Wound
'Wound' is a homograph. A 'wound' is an injury but 'wound' is also the past tense and past participle of wind. It is pronounced differently to the first word - WOWND rather than WOOND
5. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' is the name of a Jack Nicholson movie.
[ ] My son has contracted the flu and he will not attend school today.
[ ] A flue should be provided in the kitchen to carry off the fumes generated while cooking.
[x] All three are correct.
'Flew', 'flu' and 'flue' are homophones and the words are used correctly in all the sentences:
'Flew' is the past form of the verb 'fly, 'flu' is a contagious disease and a 'flue' is a duct for removing waste gasses
6. Choose the homograph that is connected with food and grouping of information.
[x] Digest
[ ] Stomach
[ ] Telephone
[ ] Desert
'Digest' is a homograph. 'Digest' is the process of converting food to a form that can be used by the body. A 'digest' is also a compendium of information.
'Desert' is also a homograph. It can mean 'a dry, arid area' or 'to abandon' - though neither of these is to do with either food or a grouping of information!
7. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] His film was certified for adults only by the sensor board.
[ ] The movie was not cleared by the sensor and it could not be released.
[x] The technician diagnosed the problem to a faulty sensor.
[ ] The technician diagnosed the problem to a faulty censor.
'Sensor' and 'censor' are homophones. Answers 1 and 2 should have used 'censor' whilst Answer 4 should have used 'sensor.' A 'sensor' is an item that receives a stimulus and responds to it and a 'censor' is any person or group of persons that helps to screen out immoral material from the general public
8. Choose the homograph that is connected with transport and sadness.
[ ] Sorrow
[ ] Cycle
[x] Moped
[ ] Bus
'Moped' is a homograph. A 'moped' is like a cycle but with a motor. 'Moped' is also to be gloomy. The two words are pronounced differently. The motorised cycle MOWP-ED and being gloomy rhymes with 'hoped'
9. Choose the sentence with the correct homophone.
[ ] The road between Bengaluru and Mysuru is clogged with heavy traffic.
[ ] I rode my brand new motorbike at a high speed to impress my friends.
[ ] Mustaq was able to save his friend from coming to harm as he rowed him back on his boat.
[x] All three are correct.
'Road', 'rode' and 'rowed' are homophones. All three are correctly used in the sentences:
A 'road' is a surface for vehicles to run on, 'rode' is the past form of the verb 'ride' and 'rowed' is the past form of the verb 'row'
10. Choose the homograph that is connected with denial and waste.
[x] Refuse
[ ] Dirt
[ ] Reject
[ ] Rubbish
'Refuse' is a homograph. 'Refuse' is to decline. 'Refuse' is also anything that can be thrown away such as rubbish or waste. The two words are pronounced differently. Decline as REE-FUSE and rubbish as REF-USE