11+ Homophones: Choose the Right Word

A spelling can be a real word and still be the wrong word for a sentence. Homophones sound alike but have different meanings and spellings. Saying a sentence aloud may not reveal the error, so the useful check is to ask what the word is doing in that particular sentence.

These original explanations and questions support preparation for 11-plus exams taken in 2027. They are not an official paper or a promise that every school tests these topics. Use your target school’s current guidance, and try each question before opening its worked answer.

Choose meaning before spelling

Compare “The boat reached the quay” and “The key opened the cupboard”. Quay and key can sound alike, but one names a place beside water and the other an object used in a lock. A correct choice needs evidence from the sentence, not just recognition of a familiar-looking spelling. Accents can affect which words sound identical; meaning remains the reliable check.

For a contraction, expand the words. “They are looking” works, so they’re is appropriate. “They are lantern” does not work, so it cannot replace their before lantern. However, do not replace every there with a place word: “There is a lantern” introduces the existence of something. Read the whole sentence rather than applying a slogan mechanically.

Use word class for trickier pairs

In British English, practice is a noun and practise is a verb. “Our practice begins at four” names an activity; “We practise after lunch” describes an action. Try replacing the word with “training” or “train” to hear the difference in its grammatical job. That replacement is a checking aid, not a definition of every use of the word.

Stationery names writing materials; stationary describes something that is not moving. “The stationary cart carried stationery” correctly uses both. A memory aid can help retrieve a spelling, but it does not replace the meaning check. The same principle applies to allowed and aloud: permission and spoken sound are different ideas.

Edit a complete sentence

An original draft reads: “Their waiting by the gate because the coach is stationery.” First test the opening: “They are waiting” makes sense, so write “They’re”. Then ask whether the coach is a collection of pens or is not moving. It is stationary. The corrected sentence is “They’re waiting by the gate because the coach is stationary.” No other change is needed.

Eight questions: explain the clue

Build a useful correction notebook

Record a missed pair with two new sentences, one for each meaning. Cover the spellings and reconstruct them from the meanings later. Include the clue that decided your answer: ownership, a grammatical action, a location or a physical condition. This makes the notebook more useful than a long list copied without context.

Return to the English learning hub, choose original practice and print resources, or continue with vocabulary in context and apostrophes. When reviewing, record the step you missed rather than just copying the answer. Explain one corrected question aloud, then try a different example of the same skill.

Teaching context checked 25 October 2026: DfE english programme. This is curriculum context, not a school-specific exam specification. The examples, questions and explanations here are original; no official mark scheme or qualified-educator review is claimed.