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9th grade Choose the right look-alike word and spell the hard ones worksheet

6 printable versionsChallenge Me10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Choose the right look-alike word and spell the hard ones

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. The architect’s ______ sense is famous, yet her own ______ home holds one chair and a lamp. Ari edits an architecture magazine. Which pair fills the two gaps correctly?

    • (1) aesthetic, (2) aesthetic
    • (1) aesthetic, (2) ascetic
    • (1) ascetic, (2) aesthetic
    • (1) ascetic, (2) ascetic
  2. Read this first

    Sentence

    The board needs a ______ mediator, one with no stake in the outcome, not an ______ one who ignores the talks.

  3. Bo edits a board newsletter. Which pair fills the two gaps correctly?

    • (1) disinterested, (2) uninterested
    • (1) uninterested, (2) uninterested
    • (1) disinterested, (2) disinterested
    • (1) uninterested, (2) disinterested
  4. The ______ neighborhood by the river complained about the ______ that the factory released into the water. Esme edits a county report. Which pair fills the two gaps correctly?

    • (1) effluent, (2) effluent
    • (1) affluent, (2) effluent
    • (1) effluent, (2) affluent
    • (1) affluent, (2) affluent
  5. The flood threatened to ______ havoc on the valley, and the mud would ______ for weeks. Jun edits a weather report. Which pair fills the two gaps correctly?

    • (1) wreak, (2) reek
    • (1) reek, (2) reek
    • (1) reek, (2) wreak
    • (1) wreak, (2) wreak
  6. “Controlled” Kira explains a spelling to a classmate. Which explanation is true?

    • Words that end in -ed double their last consonant before the ending.
    • The last syllable of “control” is stressed, so its l doubles before the ending -ed.
    • The first syllable of “control” is stressed, so its l doubles before the ending -ed.
    • The l sounds long in the word, so the spelling shows it with two letters.
  7. “Manageable” Milo explains a spelling to a classmate. Which explanation is true?

    • The e drops before -able, as in other words, so the g stays soft without it anyway.
    • The e is heard clearly in the word, so the spelling keeps it before the ending -able.
    • The e stays after the g so the g keeps its soft sound (j), not the hard sound, before -able.
    • Silent e is kept before any ending that begins with a vowel.
  8. “Truly” Noah explains a spelling to a classmate. Which explanation is true?

    • The e is not heard in the word, so the spelling simply leaves it out before -ly.
    • Silent e is dropped before any ending that begins with a consonant, in words of this kind.
    • The silent e of “true” is kept before -ly, as it is in “nicely” and “surely”.
    • The silent e of “true” is dropped before -ly, an exception to the usual rule of keeping it.
  9. The mayor will prescribe fireworks near the harbor. She announced the ban in a recomendation to the council. Ren revises two sentences from a town bulletin. Which revision fixes both slips without adding a new one?

    • The mayor will proscribe fireworks near the harbor. She announced the ban in a recomendation to the council.
    • The mayor will proscribe fireworks near the harbor. She announced the ban in a recommendation to the council.
    • The mayor will proscribe fireworks near the harbor. She anounced the ban in a recommendation to the council.
    • The mayor will prescribe fireworks near the harbor. She announced the ban in a recommendation to the council.
  10. The road through the pass was torturous, with a hairpin turn every mile. Drivers praised the safty barriers. Tala revises two sentences from a travel guide. Which revision fixes both slips without adding a new one?

    • The road through the pass was tortuous, with a hairpin turn every mile. Drivers praised the safty barriers.
    • The road through the pass was torturous, with a hairpin turn every mile. Drivers praised the safety barriers.
    • The road through the pass was tortuous, with a hairpin turn every mile. Drivers praised the safety bariers.
    • The road through the pass was tortuous, with a hairpin turn every mile. Drivers praised the safety barriers.
  11. A perspective student asked about the debate team. The coach said the club had exceled at three tournaments. Zee revises two sentences from a school newsletter. Which revision fixes both slips without adding a new one?

    • A perspective student asked about the debate team. The coach said the club had excelled at three tournaments.
    • A prospective student asked about the debate team. The coach said the club had exceled at three tournaments.
    • A prospective student asked about the debate team. The coach said the club had excelled at three tournaments.
    • A prospective student asked about the debate team. The coach said the club had excelled at three tournamants.
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9th grade Choose the right look-alike word and spell the hard ones worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Choose the right look-alike word and spell the hard ones. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can tell formal look-alike words apart by swapping each meaning into the sentence and checking every clue.
  • I can use a related word or the parts of a word to spell a hard word, and find the one misspelled word among correct ones.
  • I can explain why a word doubles a letter, keeps an e or drops one, and fix a draft with two different kinds of slip.

Words to know

look-alike words: Words that look or sound alike but mean different things (ingenious and ingenuous)

meaning swap: Put each word's meaning in the gap and reread: the meaning that fits picks the word

related word: A word from the same family where a hidden letter is sounded (condemnation for condemn)

prefix and root: A front part (dis, un, il) and the word it joins (service); every letter of both stays

stressed part: The part of a word said most strongly (con-TROL, BEN-e-fit)

soft g and soft c: g that sounds like j and c that sounds like s; an e keeps them soft before -able

Common mistakes

Your child chose the look-alike word that is most often mixed up with the right one; try asking: what does each of the two words mean, and which meaning fits this sentence?

Your child chose a word with a close but different meaning; try asking: does this exact word do the job the sentence needs?

Your child chose a word that sounds close to the right one; try asking: does the chosen word make sense with the words around the gap?

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with choose the right look-alike word and spell the hard ones?

Your child chose the look-alike word that is most often mixed up with the right one; try asking: what does each of the two words mean, and which meaning fits this sentence?

Are these 9th grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grades 9-10 reading

See all Grades 9-10 Reading

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