Can you find the words below that are spelt similarly, and sometimes even pronounced similarly, but have very different meanings? Check their pronunciation and meaning in a dictionary. • They were too close to the door to close it. • Since there is no time like the present, she thought it was time to present the present.
In the first sentence, the word close is used twice with different meanings and pronunciations. The first close is an adjective meaning 'near', pronounced with an 's' sound. The second close is a verb meaning 'to shut', pronounced with a 'z' sound.
In the second sentence, the word present appears three times with different meanings and pronunciations. The first present is a noun meaning 'the current time', and the third present is a noun meaning 'a gift'; both are pronounced with stress on the first syllable. The second present is a verb meaning 'to give or introduce', pronounced with stress on the second syllable.
Explanation
The question asks students to identify homographs—words spelt similarly but with different meanings and pronunciations. In the first sentence, 'close' changes from an adjective to a verb, shifting the pronunciation from an 's' to a 'z' sound. In the second sentence, 'present' shifts from a noun (time) to a verb (to give) and back to a noun (gift), with the stress shifting from the first to the second syllable for the verb form.