Friendly lookalikes and false friends

Languages · Language Learning · ages 8-10

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What is a false friend?
- A lookalike with a different meaning
- A mean classmate
- A hard spelling
Which pair are cognates?
- Bat and ball
- Animal and animal
- Run and sun
Bat names an animal and a stick. What are such words called?
- Cognates
- Verbs
- Homonyms
A resemblance is a first guess, not an answer.
Circle one: True False
You meet a lookalike in a story. What first?
- Guess from the likeness, then check the sentence
- Write it down as known and move on
- Skip the whole page
Which habit grows words best?
- One long night once a year
- Reading without ever using them
- A little each day with sentences
A Spanish tale about a vet holds the word animal. What check fits?
- It means animal, and the vet sentence fits
- It must mean a mineral
- It must mean a vegetable
Tom trusts a lookalike and ignores the sentence. The tale turns odd. What is his mistake?
- He read too slowly
- He treated a guess as an answer
- He used a dictionary

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

A lookalike with a different meaning · False friends dress like words you know.
Animal and animal · Animal looks the same and means the same in Spanish.
Homonyms · Homonyms share looks but split on sense.
True · Resemblance proposes, the sentence decides.
Guess from the likeness, then check the sentence · A likeness starts the guess, the sentence seals it.
A little each day with sentences · Words you use are words you keep.
It means animal, and the vet sentence fits · Cognate plus fitting sentence makes animal safe.
He treated a guess as an answer · Skipping the sentence check lets false friends win.