Context Clues (Synonyms and Antonyms)

Context Clues (Synonyms and Antonyms)

Read and answer each question carefully.

Context Clues

Context clues are bits of information (clues) from the text that, when combined with prior knowledge (what you already know) allows you to decide the meaning of unknown words in the story or article you are reading.

Learning new words is an exciting challenge. If you're not sure what a word means, it helps if you can at least know the information around the word. There are ways of figuring out what a new or unusual word means. One way is to use context clues. Using context clues means using the information around the word you don't know. 

These words help you find what it means. You can also use the information in the rest of the paragraph to help you figure out what the word means. There are a few things to watch for when looking for context clues: 

 Punctuation marks—a comma or dash may show you something about the unknown words. They can also give a clue to the new word's definition

 Key words, such as "or", and "that is" may also give you a hint that a definition is nearby. Sometimes words are spelled alike, but have different meanings. Knowing about different types of words and their definitions is very important to reading and writing. 

 For example, a bank can be a "place where money is stored," but a bank can also be an "area along the side of a river (river bank)."

Multiple Choice

When you are reading and come to an unknown word, what should you do first?

• Look for clues in the sentence

• Ask your teacher

• Look it up in the dictionary

• Skip it

Multiple Choice

Based on the context clues in the sentence below, ornate means:

The large vase was covered from top to bottom in a hand carved and ornate design. It must have taken weeks, or even months to create!!

• Simple

• Beautiful

• Detailed

• Relieved

Multiple Choice

What type of context clues use similar words to help with the meaning of an unknown word?

• Antonyms

• Synonyms

• Examples

• HDefinitions

Multiple Choice

Comparing something opposite is using what type of clues?

• Antonyms

• Synonyms

• Examples

• Definitions

Open Ended

Write a synonym for the underlined word as it is used in context.

The students who arrived late told the teacher an implausible story about stopping to watch a UFO.

Open Ended

Write a synonym for the underlined word as it is used in context.

He was so impudent to his mother that I would have punished him if he talked to me that way.

Multiple Select

For each underlined word, use the context clues or words that surround it to find the meaning.

Amy was feeling low. Every business she tried lost money or made only pennies a day. Her newest idea was selling chocolate covered baby shoes. She was convinced that it would be a lucrative business. Her friends tried to warn her that it was not a certain road to riches.

• tasting great with vanilla ice cream

• helping young feet to grow correctly

• showing no careful thought

• bringing in a lot of money, or profit

Multiple Select

Murphy Mole is the protagonist in the new novel by Trent Troll. Murphy must stop Oscar Rat and Shrimpy Shark from enslaving the inhabitants of Lazy Woods Park. He risks his life in a series of events that lead to a final battle between good and evil. What is a protagonist?

• the main character of a story

• an animal that lives underground

• someone whose first and last names start with the same letter

• someone with bad body odor

Multiple Choice

Kim was a very good substitute teacher. She liked working with third and fourth graders most of all. She especially liked discussing important current events issues with the kids. She had expected them to be indifferent to such grownup topics as taxes and social security. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were really interested in those issues and wanted to learn more about them.

• similar

• very unusual

• not caring

• gross

Multiple Choice

“Michelle, I’m very upset about what you said,” Rosie stated firmly. “You didn’t come right out and accuse me of eating all your candy. On the other hand, your remarks about my love of chocolate were made for a reason. You are insinuating that I’m the candy thief!” What does “insinuate” mean?

• to keep something hot or cold

• to suggest without clearly saying

• to do something evil

• to protect from disease

Open Ended

Mary, of course you’re overweight. You eat too much junk food. Even worse, you exercise infrequently. What does “infrequently” mean?