Context Clues

Read the dictionary entry for the word blue.

blue- noun

1. a primary color
2. depressed or melancholy
3. a member of the union army

Which definition best matches the way that blue is used in the following sentence?

The beautiful, young girl was blue when her grandmother left.

• Definition 1

• Definition 2

• Definition 3

• None of these

During the summer, my mother likes to clean everything around the house. "Ugh! It's that time again," I always think to myself. I always hate it when she is reorganizing my

stuff.

• giving things away

• rearranging something in advance

• planning something that should be organized

• changing the organization of something

My mother decided to make my grandmother's famous apple pie. After waiting for hours it was time for us to taste the pie, we took a bite. We all grimaced at the peculiar taste. Mom had not done something right. Later she discovered that she had used the wrong spice.

What does the word peculiar mean in the paragraph?

• mean

• odd

• delicious

• sweet

Read the dictionary entry for the word draft.

draft

first form of writing a current of air moving up or down to be selected for military service to compose a document

Which meaning best matches the way the word draft is used in the following sentence?

When the country is in war you may find out that you have have been drafted by the government.

• Definition 1

• Definition 2

• Definition 3

• Definition 4

What does the word autograph mean in the paragraph below?

Mia and Stephanie couldn't wait to meet their favorite singer. They had been waiting in the line for hours to get her autograph.

• write something about music

• sing a song about someone

• write one's own name

• write someone else's name

Every time my brother and I visited our grandfather, he told us stories about his childhood. He loved recounting the memories of his youth.

What does the word recounting mean in the paragraph below?

• counting again

• telling again

• changing money

• not enough money

Owen brought a huge tray of cookies to share with the class on his birthday. I hoped I would get more than one cookie. As he started passing them out, it was undetermined whether each of us would get one or more cookies. We wouldn't know until each person had received one.

What does the word undetermined mean in the selection?

• not known

• before passing

• known in the past

• distribute again

Read the dictionary entry for the word sole.

Sole

1. being the only one
2. bottom surface of something
3. European flatfish used for food

Which meaning best matches the way the word sole is used in the following sentence?

I was upset that I was the sole person cleaning up the mess in the bedroom I share with my brother.

• Definition 1

• Definition 2

• Definition 3

• None of these