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4th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 8 of 13

Sound-Alikes

Homophones and homographs

What your child practices

Choosing between words that sound alike (there/their/they're, to/too/two, its/it's) and using context to tell which meaning of a word like “bark” or “bow” is meant.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 4.2.1.2 · spelling homophones and other tricky words

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently: there, their, they’re.
  2. Test contractions by saying the long form: it’s = it is, they’re = they are.
  3. Homographs are spelled the same with different meanings (bark). Use the sentence to pick the meaning.

Example: “___ going to the park after lunch.” there, their or they’re? Try the long form: “They are going to the park.” That makes sense, so use the contraction. Answer: they’re

Sound-Alikes in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 8 of 13 in 4th grade English Language Arts, after Word Builders and before Paragraph Power.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    ___ going to the park after school.

    • They're
    • There
    • Their

  2. Question 2

    In which sentence does “fair” mean “an event with rides and games”?

    • We rode the Ferris wheel at the fair.
    • It's not fair if only one person gets a turn.
    • Lena has fair hair and freckles.

  3. Question 3

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    Put the books over ___, on the shelf.

    • their
    • there
    • they're

  4. Question 4

    Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings are called…

    • homophones
    • synonyms
    • antonyms
    • homographs

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence uses the right homophone?

    • The vet checked the puppy's weight.
    • Please weight for the green light.
    • The vet checked the puppy's wait.

  6. Question 6

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    The twins brought ___ new puppy to the park.

    • there
    • their
    • they're

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