Wordplay and Puns!

Wordplay and Puns!

Wordplay is often based on homographs (words that are spelled the same but have different meanings), homophones (words that are spelled differently but pronounced the same), and words that sound similar to each other. Try to identify the type of wordplay in the examples below.

·  The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference . He acquired his size from too much pi.

·  A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.

·  The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

·  A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

·  A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

·  Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

·  Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

·  Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, “You stay here; I’ll go on a head.”

·  I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

·  The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

·  The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

·  When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

·  One December day Paul Bunyan said, "Only 20 chopping days til Christmas."

·  Was the inventor of the colander accused of having an idea that did not hold water?

·  Q: What is a bovine’s favorite school subject?

A: Cowculus.

"So you think French is hard!"

I take it you already know

Of tough and bough and cough and dough.

Others may stumble, but not you,

On hiccough, thorough, though, and through -

Well done!

And now you wish perhaps

To learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word

That looks like beard and sounds like bird,

And dead - it's said like bed, not bead.

Watch out for meat and great and threat

(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).

A moth is not a moth in mother,

Nor both in bother, broth in brother.

And here is not a match for there

Nor dear and fear for bear and pear.

And then there's dose and rose and lose,

Just look them up - goose and choose

And cork and work and card and ward

And front and font, and word and sword

And do and go, and wart and cart -

Come! Come! I've hardly made a start!

A dreadful language? Man alive!

I mastered it - when I was five!!!

-- author unknown

List of Common Homophones:

Sent
Cent
Scent / Board
Bored / See
Sea / Billed
Build / Site
Cite
Sight / Caller
Collar
Carat
Carrot
Karat / Censer
Sensor
Censor / Cereal
Serial / Chants
Chance / Cymbal
Symbol / Die
Dye
Doe
Dough / Dew
Do
Due / Facts
Fax / Flee
Flea / Hi
Hie
High / Innocents
Innocence
Patience
Patients / Made
Maid / Male
Mail / Miner
Minor / Oar
Or
Ore / Pair
Pare
pear

\

List of Common Homographs:

back bat bear bow can

capture change clear combine commune

compact compost compound compress conduct

console construct content contest contrast

converse convert convict cool digest

display engage entrances extract finance

impact implant import insert insult

intrigue invalid invite light live

match object offense overlook park

perfect perfume permit proceeds progress

protest purpose rebel recall recap

recess redress refund regress reject

research retake retract rock rose