Homonyms

Homonyms are words that sound and spell the same but have different meanings. The meaning of these words is usually derived from the context in which they appear. For example, the word ‘bark’ has two meanings: a tree’s outer layer and the sound made by a dog. We can understand the meaning of this word from the context of the sentence.

Homophones:
Words that sound same but are spelt differently and have different meanings are referred to as homophones. The meaning of such words can be deduced from the context of the sentence or by looking at their spellings.

List of some important homophones:
• Birth- berth
• Cast- caste
• Band- banned
• Blue- blew

• Brake- break
• Dam- damn
• Die- dye

Idioms:
Idioms are words that have a deeper or figurative meaning rather than a rational literal one. These idioms can be used to simplify what's being said or to catch the interest of the audience. These terms can be used as a single word or as a group of words in a statement.

Some important idioms are given below:
• Burn the midnight oil- work or study hard
• Call a spade a spade- speak frankly
• At daggers drawn- bitterly hostile
• Out of the question- impossible
• Tooth and nail- with all one’s power
• Smell a rat- suspect something foul
• In hot water- in trouble
• Cakewalk- easy task
• To bell the cat- to face risk
• A big gun- an important person
• Above board- honest and open
• At sea- confused
• By leaps and bounds- rapidly
• A bone of contention- a cause of quarrel
• Break the ice- start a conversation
• Give cold shoulder- to ignore

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the correct option.

1. He skidded because he did not apply the _______.
a. break
b. brake
c. both
d. neither

2. You should not lose ______ in this situation.
a. hurt
b. hart
c. heart
d. hard

3. What is the _______ of this shirt?
a. price
b. prize
c. preys
d. cast

4. We ______ the potato with a knife.
a. peal
b. open
c. heel
d. peel

5. Every airport has a ___________.
a. hunger
b. hanger
c. hangar
d. none of the above

Choose the correct meaning of the given idiom.
6. In hot water
a. In a confused state
b. In a very strict manner
c. To avoid someone intentionally
d. In trouble

7. A bone of contention
a. A satisfied person
b. A cause of quarrel
c. A week person
d. A cause of happiness

8. Call a spade a spade
a. Speak frankly
b. Speak irresponsibly
c. Speak truth
d. Speak carelessly

9. Give cold shoulder
a. Help someone
b. Cheat someone
c. Ignore someone
d. Forget someone

10. At sea
a. Confused
b. Happy
c. Travelling
d. Making money

Answers

1. B
2. C
3. A
4. D
5. C
6. D
7. B
8. A
9. C
10. A