Context Clues

When we went to the petting zoo, we bought some chicken feed. The feed was tiny and filled our hands. We threw it into the air and it scattered on the ground. Then the chickens ran towards the feed and ate it quickly.

The word scattered means:

• throw over an object

• to move out quickly in different directions

• to hold on to

Fables are fun to read. In these stories, the author always tries to teach a lesson. Fables also have animals that talk and act like people. One of the characters in fables is a fox. The fox is a clever animal and should never be trusted.

The word clever means:

• smart

• tricky

• skilled or talented

My mom has some beautiful jewelry. When I was younger, I used to sneak in her room to play with it and try it on. When my mom told me to stop though, I did. Today, my mom noticed her jewelry was out of place and started to accuse me but then she realized it was probably my little sister.

The word accuse means:

• charge someone with a crime

• blame

• let go

My cousins and I built a big skateboarding ramp in our driveway out of old pieces of wood. We tried to make it as fun as possible but we also wanted to keep it safe. We all knew what the outcome might be if someone had a bad fall off of it.

The word outcome means:

• how something turns out

• the cause

• something expected

When we tried out for the spelling bee team, we were told that there would be a brief meeting after school to take a practice test. I hoped the meeting would really go quickly because I also had soccer practice that afternoon.

The word brief means:

• a long time

• a court summary

• a short period of time

My best friend stayed home from school for a week. She had a fever, a runny nose and an upset stomach. I knew she must be in misery because she didn't even call me like she usually does. I hope she gets better really soon.

The word misery means:

• slight pain

• happiness

• suffering

My friend and I were swimming at the community pool. We decided to race but my friend wanted to wear flippers. I thought flippers would give him too much of an advantage, so I got out of the pool and got on my flippers too!

The word advantage means:

• a better position

• the opportunity to profit

• something negative

When my teacher told us we were going to learn about the phases of the Moon, I was worried. The names of the phases, like Waxing Crescent and Waning Gibbous seemed really hard. After we had a few lesson though, I felt like I was able to digest the information.

The word digest means:

• to break down food

• to understand something

• to be confused

My friends family was going to the movies and they invited me to come with them. I thought it sounded like fun and I really wanted to go. I knew that my sister had a softball game but I was hoping that I would be able to convince my parents to let me go.

The word convince means:

• cooperate

• try to change someone's thinking

• entertain

My teenage brother was going to a Halloween party but didn't have a costume. My mom told him he couldn't go without a costume. My dad told him to go to find something suitable to wear to the party.

The word suitable means:

• wrong

• fancy clothes

• appropriate