ADVANCED ENGLISH HOMONYMS EXERCISE 1
✓ Useful for TOEFL
✓ Useful for Cambridge B2/C1
DID YOU KNOW?
Homonym errors in IELTS and TOEFL writing signal weak vocabulary control — and examiners are trained to spot them.
Homonyms are words that sound the same but have different meanings or spellings: affect/effect, principal/principle, complement/compliment. Confusing them isn’t a spelling error — it’s a meaning error, which is penalised more heavily under Lexical Resource in IELTS and affects task response scores in TOEFL.
Cambridge C1/C2 Use of English (Part 1 — multiple choice cloze) regularly presents homonym pairs as distractors. Knowing which word means what in context is non-negotiable at C1 and above. This series of three exercises builds that precision systematically.
Homonym errors in IELTS and TOEFL writing signal weak vocabulary control — and examiners are trained to spot them.
Homonyms are words that sound the same but have different meanings or spellings: affect/effect, principal/principle, complement/compliment. Confusing them isn’t a spelling error — it’s a meaning error, which is penalised more heavily under Lexical Resource in IELTS and affects task response scores in TOEFL.
Cambridge C1/C2 Use of English (Part 1 — multiple choice cloze) regularly presents homonym pairs as distractors. Knowing which word means what in context is non-negotiable at C1 and above. This series of three exercises builds that precision systematically.
1. Keep walking (strait/straight) until you reach Lincoln Blvd.✓
2. All the leaders claimed that they wanted (peace/piece).✓
3. Don't iron your clothes on the table; use an ironing (board/bored)!✓
4. Lord Williams hardly ever left his (manor/manner).✓
5. That lion has a beautiful (main/mane).✓
6. You're not allowed to (alter/altar) anything on the worksheet.✓
7. That is the (main/mane) reason that I can't go tonight.✓
8. Most of the audience members were (board/bored) with the performance.✓
9. By hiring two new employees, Jim hoped to (lesson/lessen) our workload.✓
10. I love this (summary/summery) weather.✓
