Homophones: same sound, different meanings
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings. You hear a sound; here means this place. The sentence helps you choose.
Best for KS2 practice with an adult. Follow your school’s sequence.
Practise ten starter words freePractise ten distinct words from the 13 starter words below, read aloud in a sentence. No name, account or payment needed.
By Szabolcs Deák. Reviewed .
A printable homophones table
Print this reference and discuss the meanings; not all are included in the app starter.
Sound hints are informal. Pronunciation varies by accent. To is often unstressed; its strong form sounds like too and two. Accept each child’s accent.
| Words | Sound hint | Meanings | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| hear / here | heer | Hear means listen; here means in this place. | I can hear the birds here. |
| see / sea | see | See means notice with your eyes; sea is salt water. | We can see the sea from the hill. |
| one / won | wun | One is the number 1; won is the past tense of win. | Our team won by one point. |
| to / too / two | too | To can show direction; too means also or excessively; two is 2. | Two friends came to the park too. |
| night / knight | nite | Night is when it is dark; a knight is a titled person or storybook warrior. | The knight guarded the castle at night. |
| not / knot | not | Not makes a statement negative; a knot is a fastening in string or rope. | That knot is not tight enough. |
| reign / rain / rein | rayn | Reign is a monarch’s rule; rain falls from clouds; a rein guides a horse. | The queen’s reign began in a rainy year. Hold the rein. |
| scene / seen | seen | A scene is a place or part of a play; seen is used with have or had, from see. | I have seen that scene before. |
| there / their / they’re | thair | There can mean a place; their shows belonging; they’re means they are. | They’re leaving their bags over there. |
Choose by meaning, then write
Start with one pair. Say “We waited here” and “We could hear music”. Identify place or listening. Cover the words and write the spelling for a new sentence.
For there, their and they’re, ask: is it a place, does something belong to them, or could you say “they are”? “A scene” names something; “have seen” tells you about seeing it.
Discuss mistakes before correcting them. Find the word in reading or use it in a story.
A sentence quiz with answers
Choose from each bracket, explain your choice, then open the answer. These examples are our own.
Can you ___ the bell? (hear / here)
Show answer 1
hear — The sentence is about listening.
The boat sailed across the ___. (see / sea)
Show answer 2
sea — The boat is travelling on water.
Our class ___ the match. (one / won)
Show answer 3
won — The class was the winner.
I have ___ pencils. (to / too / two)
Show answer 4
two — You are counting pencils.
Tie a ___ in the ribbon. (not / knot)
Show answer 5
knot — You need a fastening.
The king’s ___ lasted many years. (reign / rain / rein)
Show answer 6
reign — This means the time he ruled.
We have ___ this play before. (scene / seen)
Show answer 7
seen — Have seen describes a previous experience.
___ putting on their coats. (There / Their / They’re)
Show answer 8
They’re — They are putting on their coats. Use a capital letter at the start.
Try the starter words in Spellito
The starter contains exactly: hear, here, see, sea, one, won, to, too, not, reign, scene, knight and there. Each round draws ten different words from that pool, in a shuffled order.
You hear each chosen word in Teacher’s sentence. This supports spelling in context; it is not an exam-normed grammar quiz or a test of choosing every partner in the table. Full ordered 20-word released-paper practice remains a paid feature.
Common questions
What are homophones?
Homophones sound the same but have different meanings, as in hear and here. The sentence helps you choose.
Who is this homophones guide best for?
KS2 children, parents and teachers. Start with familiar pairs for Year 3; revisit reign, rain and rein for Year 5 when they fit the school’s sequence.
What does the free practice button start?
Ten distinct words from the 13 starter words listed above, read aloud in Teacher’s sentences. No name, account or payment is needed.
Are all the table words in the app starter?
No. The printable table includes additional partners. The app practises spelling in context; full ordered 20-word released-paper practice remains paid.
Curriculum reference: Department for Education, English spelling appendix. England’s programme includes homophones across primary spelling. Other UK nations have their own curricula.
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