Homophones Word Search With Find the Partner Clues

Press New puzzle for 16 hidden homophones, each with a clue naming its partner, then print it with the key.

Name Date

Homophones Word Search

Every hidden word has a partner that sounds the same. Work out the right spelling, then find it in the grid.

0 of 16 words found

WORWALPAIRISXOO

ILFBWRITEULOAWB

TEYBAREEMLMEEAR

CXAWEMCTIAEOAAA

HDEEWUESLWPDWET

VOXTXNFCAWLESNN

QDBEIROSYEAHHOZ

HTEKAAOIDINERLH

WEAKFWFLGGEDWBK

FSCZRGLZWHALEBY

IEHUSUOLLTPNNES

IHNNTIURYTALEDH

DRTHEIRUASAOFIE

SWIGAULPDGGRLOA

NBNFKEWYOTTDEER

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

Sounds like bear. With nothing on, like feet with no socks or shoes.
Sounds like dear. A shy animal with hooves. Most males grow antlers.
Sounds like wail. A huge mammal that lives in the ocean.
Sounds like flower. A powder made from ground grain, used to bake bread.
Sounds like stake. A thick slice of beef cooked on a grill or in a pan.
Sounds like pear. Two things that go together, like socks or shoes.
Sounds like week. Not strong.
Sounds like beech. The sandy or stony land at the edge of the ocean.
Sounds like there. Belonging to them.
Sounds like right. To put words on paper with a pen or pencil.
Sounds like peace. One part of something, like a slice of pie.
Sounds like plain. It flies people from one airport to another.
Sounds like wait. How heavy something is.
Sounds like tail. A story, often an old one with magic in it.
Sounds like which. In stories, a woman with magic powers and a broomstick.
Sounds like here. What you do with your ears.

16 of 24 words from the Find the Partner list.

Write each sentence with the right spelling: I can (hear, here) the (sea, see). The (bear, bare) (ate, eight) (for, four) (pears, pairs).

Start from a list

Easy: words go across and down.

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Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Homophones Word Search

WORWALPAIRISXOO

ILFBWRITEULOAWB

TEYBAREEMLMEEAR

CXAWEMCTIAEOAAA

HDEEWUESLWPDWET

VOXTXNFCAWLESNN

QDBEIROSYEAHHOZ

HTEKAAOIDINERLH

WEAKFWFLGGEDWBK

FSCZRGLZWHALEBY

IEHUSUOLLTPNNES

IHNNTIURYTALEDH

DRTHEIRUASAOFIE

SWIGAULPDGGRLOA

NBNFKEWYOTTDEER

BARE, DEER, WHALE, FLOUR, STEAK, PAIR, WEAK, BEACH, THEIR, WRITE, PIECE, PLANE, WEIGHT, TALE, WITCH, HEAR

Next step Print bingo cards and call the meanings, not the words Build a puzzle from the pairs your class mixes up

All 144 words

Animal Homophones 16

Bare Sounds like bear. With nothing on, like feet with no socks or shoes.
Bear Sounds like bare. A large, heavy animal with thick fur and claws.
Dear Sounds like deer. The first word of many letters, before the name.
Deer Sounds like dear. A shy animal with hooves. Most males grow antlers.
Doe Sounds like dough. A female deer.
Dough Sounds like doe. A soft mix that is baked into bread or cookies.
Flea Sounds like flee. A tiny jumping insect with no wings that bites pets.
Flee Sounds like flea. To run away from danger.
Hair Sounds like hare. It grows on your head and gets cut at the barber.
Hare Sounds like hair. It looks like a rabbit with longer ears and legs.
Hoarse Sounds like horse. How a voice is when it is rough from a cold.
Horse Sounds like hoarse. A large animal people ride, with a mane and a tail.
Moose Sounds like mousse. A very large deer. The male has wide, flat antlers.
Mousse Sounds like moose. A chilled, airy dessert, often made with chocolate.
Wail Sounds like whale. A long, loud, high cry of pain or sadness.
Whale Sounds like wail. A huge mammal that lives in the ocean.

Show all 144 words (128 more)

Food Homophones 16

Beat Sounds like beet. To win against someone; also the steady pulse of a song.
Beet Sounds like beat. A round root vegetable, usually red inside.
Berry Sounds like bury. A small, juicy fruit, good in pies and jam.
Bury Sounds like berry. To put something in a hole and cover it with earth.
Cereal Sounds like serial. A breakfast food made from grain, often eaten with milk.
Flour Sounds like flower. A powder made from ground grain, used to bake bread.
Flower Sounds like flour. The colorful part of a plant, with petals.
Leak Sounds like leek. A hole or crack that lets water drip out.
Leek Sounds like leak. A long white and green vegetable related to the onion.
Meat Sounds like meet. Food that comes from animals, such as beef or chicken.
Meet Sounds like meat. To come together with someone at a set place.
Pair Sounds like pear. Two things that go together, like socks or shoes.
Pear Sounds like pair. A sweet fruit, round at the bottom and narrow on top.
Serial Sounds like cereal. A story told in parts, one after another.
Stake Sounds like steak. A pointed stick driven into the ground to hold a tent.
Steak Sounds like stake. A thick slice of beef cooked on a grill or in a pan.

Number Homophones 16

Ate Sounds like eight. Had a meal; the past of eat.
Cent Sounds like sent. A small coin. It takes 100 to make a dollar.
Eight Sounds like ate. The number after seven.
For Sounds like four. It fits both gaps: a gift ___ you, thanks ___ the help.
Four Sounds like for. The number after three.
One Sounds like won. The number before two.
Sent Sounds like cent. Mailed, like a letter; the past of send.
Some Sounds like sum. A few, but not all.
Sum Sounds like some. The answer when you add numbers together.
Sundae Sounds like Sunday. A dish of ice cream with syrup, nuts or other toppings.
Sunday Sounds like sundae. The day between Saturday and Monday.
Too Sounds like two. It means also, or more than is wanted.
Two Sounds like too. The number after one.
Weak Sounds like week. Not strong.
Week Sounds like weak. Seven days in a row.
Won Sounds like one. Came first in a race or game; the past of win.

Nature Homophones 16

Beach Sounds like beech. The sandy or stony land at the edge of the ocean.
Beech Sounds like beach. A tree with smooth gray bark and small three-sided nuts.
Creak Sounds like creek. The squeaky noise an old door or stair makes.
Creek Sounds like creak. A small stream.
Dew Sounds like due. Tiny drops of water that form on grass overnight.
Due Sounds like dew. Expected on a set day, like homework or a library book.
Fir Sounds like fur. An evergreen tree with flat needles and upright cones.
Fur Sounds like fir. The thick, soft hair that covers a cat or a fox.
Peak Sounds like peek. The pointed top of a mountain.
Peek Sounds like peak. A quick, secret look.
Rain Sounds like reign. Water that falls from clouds in drops.
Reign Sounds like rain. The years when a king or queen rules.
Sea Sounds like see. A wide stretch of salt water.
See Sounds like sea. What you do with your eyes.
Son Sounds like sun. A boy or man, to his mother and father.
Sun Sounds like son. The star that gives us daylight.

Homophones Writers Mix Up 16

Brake Sounds like break. The part that slows or stops a bike or a car.
Break Sounds like brake. To snap or smash something into parts.
Buy Sounds like bye. To get something by paying money.
Bye Sounds like buy. A short way to say farewell.
Peace Sounds like piece. A calm time with no war or fighting.
Piece Sounds like peace. One part of something, like a slice of pie.
Right Sounds like write. Correct; also the opposite of left.
Their Sounds like there. Belonging to them.
There Sounds like their. In that place.
Threw Sounds like through. Tossed a ball into the air; the past of throw.
Through Sounds like threw. In one side and out the other, like a train in a tunnel.
Weather Sounds like whether. Sunshine, wind, snow or storms outside today.
Whether Sounds like weather. A word like if: I wonder ___ it will snow.
Wood Sounds like would. What tree trunks are made of. It is cut into boards.
Would Sounds like wood. It fits the gap: I ___ go if I could.
Write Sounds like right. To put words on paper with a pen or pencil.

Travel Homophones 16

Coarse Sounds like course. Rough, not fine or smooth, like some sand or cloth.
Course Sounds like coarse. The path a ship follows; also a set of lessons.
Fair Sounds like fare. Treating everyone the same; also an event with rides.
Fare Sounds like fair. The money you pay to ride a bus, train or taxi.
Flew Sounds like flu. Went through the air; the past of fly.
Flu Sounds like flew. An illness with fever, aches and a cough.
Hall Sounds like haul. A long passage inside a building, with doors along it.
Haul Sounds like hall. To pull or carry something heavy.
Peer Sounds like pier. To look hard at something; also someone your own age.
Pier Sounds like peer. A platform built out over the water, where boats tie up.
Plain Sounds like plane. Simple, with no pattern; also a wide stretch of flat land.
Plane Sounds like plain. It flies people from one airport to another.
Sail Sounds like sale. The big cloth that catches wind to move a boat.
Sale Sounds like sail. A time when a store sells things at lower prices.
Wait Sounds like weight. To stay where you are until something happens.
Weight Sounds like wait. How heavy something is.

Story Homophones 16

Groan Sounds like grown. A long, low sound of pain or boredom.
Grown Sounds like groan. Become bigger or taller; a form of grow.
Made Sounds like maid. Built or created; the past of make.
Maid Sounds like made. Someone paid to clean rooms in a house or hotel.
Road Sounds like rode. A hard path built for cars, carts and bikes.
Rode Sounds like road. Sat on a bike or pony and went along; the past of ride.
Soar Sounds like sore. To fly high in the air, like a hawk.
Sore Sounds like soar. Hurting or aching, like a throat or a leg.
Steal Sounds like steel. To take something that is not yours.
Steel Sounds like steal. A strong metal made from iron, used in swords and bridges.
Tail Sounds like tale. The part a dog wags.
Tale Sounds like tail. A story, often an old one with magic in it.
Throne Sounds like thrown. The grand chair where a king or queen sits.
Thrown Sounds like throne. Tossed through the air; a form of throw.
Which Sounds like witch. A question word for choosing: ___ one do you want?
Witch Sounds like which. In stories, a woman with magic powers and a broomstick.

Body Homophones 16

Feat Sounds like feet. An act that takes great skill or courage.
Feet Sounds like feat. You stand on them; the plural of foot.
Heal Sounds like heel. To get well again, as a cut does.
Hear Sounds like here. What you do with your ears.
Heel Sounds like heal. The back part of your foot, below the ankle.
Here Sounds like hear. In this place.
Muscle Sounds like mussel. Body tissue that tightens to move your arms and legs.
Mussel Sounds like muscle. A shellfish that lives inside a pair of long shells.
Pain Sounds like pane. The feeling when something hurts.
Pane Sounds like pain. One sheet of glass in a window.
Sole Sounds like soul. The underside of your foot or shoe.
Soul Sounds like sole. The spirit of a person; also deep feeling in music.
Toe Sounds like tow. One of the five small parts at the end of your foot.
Tow Sounds like toe. To pull a car or boat along behind with a rope or chain.
Waist Sounds like waste. The middle of your body, where a belt goes.
Waste Sounds like waist. To use more than you need; also trash.

Tricky Homophones 16

Capital Sounds like capitol. The city where a government sits; also an upper-case letter.
Capitol Sounds like capital. The building where a state's lawmakers meet.
Colonel Sounds like kernel. An army officer who ranks just below a brigadier general.
Complement Sounds like compliment. Something that completes another thing or goes well with it.
Compliment Sounds like complement. A kind remark about someone.
Councilor Sounds like counselor. A member of a council.
Counselor Sounds like councilor. Someone who gives advice, or who leads children at a camp.
Cymbal Sounds like symbol. A round brass plate that crashes when a drummer hits it.
Foreword Sounds like forward. A short opening note at the front of a book.
Forward Sounds like foreword. Toward the front; the opposite of backward.
Kernel Sounds like colonel. One grain of corn; also the seed inside a nut.
Principal Sounds like principle. The person in charge of a school.
Principle Sounds like principal. A rule or belief that guides how you act.
Stationary Sounds like stationery. Standing still, not moving.
Stationery Sounds like stationary. Writing paper and envelopes.
Symbol Sounds like cymbal. A sign or shape that stands for something, like + for add.

How this list was compiled: 144 words in 72 homophone pairs, chosen and defined for this site, in nine themed lists of 8 complete pairs plus three cross-cutting lists. Every word was checked in the American Heritage Dictionary, https://www.ahdictionary.com/, on 2026-09-19. A pair was kept only when the first pronunciation the dictionary prints for both words is the same, as with flour and flower or colonel and kernel. Pairs whose sound changes with accent (aunt and ant, root and route) are left out, and so are pairs where one word reads inside the other (knight and night, hour and our), which a word search cannot hide fairly. Facts in the meanings were checked the same day in the dictionary and in English Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/. Every clue names the partner word and then gives a meaning in our own words. Licence: own work

How it works

This homophones word search opens on a finished puzzle: 16 words hidden across and down in a 15 by 15 grid, with clues in place of the word list. Pupils read "Sounds like flower" and hunt for Flour. Nine themed lists hold 8 pairs each.

Read the full guide

Start with Find the Partner

The opening list holds 24 words, one from each of 24 pairs, and the partner is never in the grid. Each clue gives a sound and a meaning: "Sounds like break. The part that slows or stops a bike or a car." The pupil has to spell Brake before hunting for it.

Print both words of each pair

Under the puzzle, pick a themed list, such as Animal Homophones or Tricky Homophones. Each holds exactly 8 pairs, so 16 words hides both partners. Untick Show clues, not words, and they print one after the other: Bear, Bare, Deer, Dear. Print or save as PDF gives the puzzle, then the answer key, on Letter or A4.

A themed list at 8 words splits pairs. For 4 whole pairs, take the other 4 pairs off the list with the cross beside each.
Short Homophones holds 12 pairs of 3 or 4 letters, such as Sea and See.
The sheet ends with two sentences to rewrite with the right spelling: I can (hear, here) the (sea, see).

Questions and answers

Why are Knight and Night not in this homophones word search?

Night reads inside Knight, so the grid would hide one word inside the other. Whole and Hole, Hour and Our, and Knew and New are left out for the same reason. To use one anyway, type it at the end of the list.

Are there, their and they're in the puzzle?

There and Their are, in Homophones Writers Mix Up, beside Right and Write, and Weather and Whether. They're is left out, like You're and It's: a grid hides letters only, so the apostrophe would be lost. Two and Too are in Number Homophones.

How were the homophone pairs checked?

In the American Heritage Dictionary, on 19 September 2026. A pair stayed only when the first pronunciation printed for both words is the same. Pairs that change with accent, such as Aunt and Ant, were left out.

All 144 words

Animal Homophones 16

Food Homophones 16

Number Homophones 16

Nature Homophones 16

Homophones Writers Mix Up 16

Travel Homophones 16

Story Homophones 16

Body Homophones 16

Tricky Homophones 16

How it works

Start with Find the Partner

Print both words of each pair

Questions and answers

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