Spell tricky look-alike words

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   [1] The Friday night market fills the old square with lights and music. [2] Visitors wander through a bizarre of stalls selling rugs, spices and lamps. [3] Vendors weigh each bag of dried fruit on a brass scale. [4] By ten o'clock, most of the crowd has gone home.

2. 1.

   Ari proofreads a paragraph. Which numbered sentence has the misused word, and what fixes it?

   • Sentence 2: change “bizarre” to “bazaar”.
   • Sentence 4: change “ten” to “then”.
   • Sentence 3: change “weigh” to “way”.
   • Sentence 2: change “bizarre” to “bazar”.

3. Use this

   [1] Many old trading towns grew where rivers meet the sea. [2] Goods were born downstream on flat wooden barges. [3] Merchants paid a toll at each bridge along the way. [4] The money was used to repair the stone docks.

4. 2.

   Bo proofreads a paragraph. Which numbered sentence has the misused word, and what fixes it?

   • Sentence 3: change “toll” to “told”.
   • Sentence 1: change “meet” to “meat”.
   • Sentence 2: change “born” to “bourne”.
   • Sentence 2: change “born” to “borne”.

5. Use this

   [1] The school offers a fee waiver to families who qualify. [2] A parent must fill out a short form to wave the fee for one season. [3] The office reviews each form within a week. [4] Families are told the decision by email.

6. 3.

   Esme proofreads a paragraph. Which numbered sentence has the misused word, and what fixes it?

   • Sentence 1: change “waiver” to “wavier”.
   • Sentence 2: change “wave” to “waiv”.
   • Sentence 2: change “wave” to “waive”.
   • Sentence 3: change “week” to “weak”.

7. Use this

   [1] Esme's art class studied how painters mix color. [2] Each student chose a palate of five paints for a first landscape. [3] The teacher showed how to clean a brush between colors. [4] The finished paintings hung in the hallway for a week.

8. 4.

   Jun proofreads a paragraph. Which numbered sentence has the misused word, and what fixes it?

   • Sentence 4: change “week” to “weak”.
   • Sentence 2: change “palate” to “pallet”.
   • Sentence 1: change “painters” to “paintors”.
   • Sentence 2: change “palate” to “palette”.
9. 5.

   Kira checks four sentences. Which one uses both look-alike words correctly?

   • The author's forward thanks the readers, and the story moves forward quickly.
   • The author's foreword thanks the readers, and the story moves forward quickly.
   • The author's forward thanks the readers, and the story moves foreword quickly.
   • The author's foreword thanks the readers, and the story moves foreword quickly.
10. 6.

    Luz checks four sentences. Which one uses both look-alike words correctly?

    • The lesson on bike safety will lesson the chance of injury.
    • The lessen on bike safety will lessen the chance of injury.
    • The lesson on bike safety will lessen the chance of injury.
    • The lessen on bike safety will lesson the chance of injury.
11. 7.

    Noah checks four sentences. Which one uses both look-alike words correctly?

    • The builders had to altar the plans to fit the alter in the chapel.
    • The builders had to altar the plans to fit the altar in the chapel.
    • The builders had to alter the plans to fit the alter in the chapel.
    • The builders had to alter the plans to fit the altar in the chapel.
12. 8.

    The ferry sailed ___ across the narrow ___ toward the island. Pia fills both blanks. Which pair completes the sentence?

    • strait / strait
    • straight / strait
    • straight / straight
    • strait / straight
13. 9.

    Luz won a ___ at the meet and chose not to ___ in the dispute. Tala fills both blanks. Which pair completes the sentence?

    • meddle / medal
    • medal / meddle
    • meddle / meddle
    • medal / medal
14. 10.

    The moon's ___ did not ___ the sleepy campers. Zee fills both blanks. Which pair completes the sentence?

    • phase / faze
    • faze / faze
    • phase / phase
    • faze / phase