context clues worksheet set -...

Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian

Context Clues

Worksheet Set

Includes original reading passages

Students will:

Choose the correct word from the context

Define the word from the context

Choose the correct meaning from the context

Write and draw to illustrate multiple meanings of words

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Name_______________________________________________ Date__________________________

Calling All Canines

Context Clues – Choose the Correct Word

Directions: Read each passage, and then circle the correct word to fill in each blank space.

1. activity, pet, vehicle, fun

2. black, brown, large, no

3. book, movie, music video, commercial

1. colors, sizes, shapes, breeds

2. crayons, paint colors, dogs, trees

3. trees, animals, foods, dogs

1. red, white, low, high

2. calling, jumping, writing, walking

3. mild, bright, dangerous, healthful

Maybe you have seen the Dalmatians in the movie, 101 Dalmatians. Maybe you

know of someone who has one of these unique black and white spotted dogs for a family

__(1)__. But unless you have seen a newborn Dalmatian pup, you might not know this

interesting fact about Dalmatians. Baby Dalmatians have __(2)__ spots! That’s right – a

newborn Dalmatian pup is plain white. When it is about one week old, the pup begins to

develop spots. By the time it is a month old, the pup will have most of its spots and begin to

look like the Dalmatians in the famous __(3)__.

Sure, there are brown dogs, and black dogs, and white dogs. But that is just the

beginning. Dogs’ furry coats come in a wide variety of __(1)__ and patterns. Many of them

are named after things in nature, such as __(2)__ or animals. For example, there is chestnut,

which is a dark brown, and fawn, which is a light brown. Some of the colors are named after

__(3)__, such as chocolate, apricot, and salt and pepper. There are even “blue” dogs. A blue

tick hound has spots of black and white that give the dog an overall navy blue appearance.

Dogs are so helpful to humans that they have been called “man’s best

friend.” Did you know that dogs can even help humans learn about their own health

problems? Some dogs can help people with diabetes by warning them when their blood

sugar gets too low. These dogs warn their owner about their __(1)__blood sugar by

barking, __(2)__ on them, or just staring at their faces. In one experiment, scientists found

that dogs could identify certain kinds of cancer by sniffing samples of patients’ breath.

Some people think that their dogs can even bark a warning if something really __(3)__ like a

stroke or a heart attack is about to happen.


Name_______________________________________________ Date__________________________

At the Circus



1. clowns, animals, performers, tents

2. elephants, clowns, acrobats, music

3. funny, exciting, summer, dull

1. inside, outside, carefully, down

2. train, tent, truck, trailer

3. performers, ringmasters, roustabouts, lions

1. plain, polka-dotted, tan, business-like

2. his, her, their, there

3. dry, red, green, wet

A circus is a performance like no other. Only at a circus can you see so many different

performers in one show. Circus __(1)__ include acrobats, clowns, jugglers, and animal

trainers. Horses, __(2)__, and even lions and tigers entertain the audience at a circus. The

crowd is treated to comedy, music, tricks, feats of bravery, and non-stop action. With all of

this going on under the big top, there is never a __(3)__ moment. When the ringmaster

introduces the show by calling out, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages

. . . ,” you know that you are in for a treat.

There is more to putting on a circus than just giving a performance! Every time the circus

train pulls into a new town, everything has to be set up, and when it’s time to leave everything has

to be taken __(1)__. It’s a big job!

Circus roustabouts begin by unloading everything from the __(2)__ onto wagons.

“Everything” includes not just the tent, the costumes, and the props, but all of the animals as well.

Their next big job is setting up the “big top,” or the main circus tent. The __(3)__ set up the tent

poles and hammer the pegs into the ground. They get some help with the heavy lifting from some

very valuable circus members, the elephants!

Clown Alley is the part of the dressing room area in a circus that is reserved for the

clowns. It is here that the clowns brush on their colorful face paint, put on their red noses,

and get dressed in their colorful __(1)__ or striped costumes. They put on their giant-sized

clown shoes here, too.

Clowns can do a last-minute practice of their gags in Clown Alley as they get

everything ready for __(2)__ performances. They practice until their timing is just right.

After all, getting a pie in the face or sitting down on __(3)__ paint is only funny when it

happens at just the right moment.


Name______________________________________________ Date__________________________

Take Me Out to the Ball Game



1. balls, bats, gloves, diamonds

2. round, square, wooden, tall

3. baseball, tall, younger, National League

1. music, sports, TV, soccer

2. add, subtract, talk, practice

3. collectors, pictures, boxes, packs

1. sale, breakfast, fun, free

2. football, baseball, country, rock

3. peanuts, hamburgers, eggs, cotton candy

Baseball bats have been around for a long time. Before there were standard, factory-

made baseball __(1)__, there were homemade ones of every shape and size. These early

bats were often flat instead of __(2)__. They were made of wood, and each player had his

own. After a while, bats began to be mass-produced. These were long, thin, wooden bats.

Maybe you have heard of the famous Louisville Slugger, first made in a family wood-turning

shop. Later, manufacturers began to make bats of aluminum. Aluminum bats were first

used by __(3)__ players, but they have now become popular with players of all ages.

Baseball cards have popular items for __(1)__ fans to collect and trade for decades.

Every summer as baseball season gears up, boys and girls who love the sport __(2)__ to their

collections. Most collectors buy their cards in small packs or large boxes, but in the past,

baseball cards were given away in food packages including Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Hostess

Twinkies, and Jiffy Pop popcorn. Until the mid-1980s, __(2)__ of baseball cards also featured

an added bonus – a stick of gum. Many people hold on to the collection of baseball cards they

started as a child, or even keep adding onto it, for their whole lives.

Certain foods just seem to go with certain occasions, and a baseball game is no

exception. At the ballpark, vendors walk through the stands carrying trays of foods such as

hotdogs and peanuts for __(1)__. Cracker Jacks are also a popular baseball stadium snack.

Cracker Jacks and peanuts are both mentioned in the famous __(2)__ song “Take Me Out to

the Ball Game.” The song says, “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, I don’t care if I

never get back.” Of course, if you are not a big fan of hotdogs, __(3)__, and Cracker Jacks,

most stadiums now offer a wide range of other snack choices as well.


Name_____________________________________________ Date__________________________

Speaking of Science

Context Clues – Choose the Correct Definition

Directions: Read each sentence, and then choose the correct definition for the word in bold print.

1. Vaccination means:

a) Advice from his doctor b) A shot to prevent certain diseases

c) A serious, contagious disease d) A trip to another country

2. Watershed means:

a) An outdoor storage area for certain dangerous chemicals

b) An area of land that receives water from the Chesapeake Bay

c) A narrow river on the east coast of the United States

d) An area in which all of the water feeds into a large body of water

3. Independent variable mean:

a) The variable that the scientist changes during the experiment

b) The variable that does not change

c) A variable used in experiments with food or food items

d) A variable that changes as a result of changes made by the scientist

4. Potential energy means:

a) Stored energy

b) Energy in motion

c) Electrical energy

d) Mechanical energy

On his last visit to his pediatrician, Tommy received a vaccination. The shot hurt for a minute, but

the immunization would keep him safe from diseases including diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus.

Signs posted along the Potomac River warned visitors not to dump anything in the water because

the whole area was part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Any chemicals that got into the river

would eventually find their way into the bay as well.

For his science experiment, Matt chose to use the type of popcorn popper as his independent variable.

He planned to try three different types of poppers to see which one produced the most popped corn.

The teacher explained that the rock sitting on the edge of the cliff had potential energy because

its energy was stored. The rock was not moving, and its energy was not being used.


Name_____________________________________________ Date_________________________

The Word on History



1. Suffrage means:

a) Being discriminated against

b) Consequences for not following the laws

c) Permission to run for public office

d) The right to vote

2. Political Party means:

a) An organization of people who support certain ideas and often vote for the same candidates

b) A group of people who all hope to be elected to public office at some point in their careers

c) One of the three branches of the government

d) A celebration after winning a presidential election

3. Textiles means:

a) Clothing b) Dresses

c) Fabrics d) Factories

4. Piedmont means:

a) Mountainous land

b) Coastal flat lands

c) A wide plateau between the mountains and the Atlantic Coast

d) A wide, level plateau between the mountains and the Pacific Coast

Women across the United States were allowed to vote in the 1920 presidential election because

the Nineteenth Amendment had been passed which provided suffrage for women in all states of

the United States.

Mr. Jones joined the Democratic Party because he wanted to vote for their candidate for

president. Mr. Smith joined the Republican Party. Mr. Anderson hadn’t joined either political

party because he wasn’t sure what each party stood for, but he still planned to vote.

The factory workers made textiles from cotton. Their colorful fabrics were used to make clothing

that was sold all across the country.

Marilyn lived in the part of North Carolina known as the Piedmont. The land was not

mountainous, and it was not along the coast. It was just a wide, level plateau in between.


Name_____________________________________________ Date__________________________

Mixing It Up with Music and Art



1. Signature means:

a) The name of the composer who wrote the music b) Symbols that tell the music’s key and tempo

c) The lyrics to the song d) The music notes

2. Primary Colors means:

a) Mixed colors b) Colors that cannot be created by mixing

c) Orange, purple, green, and brown d) All of the colors of the rainbow

3. Percussion means:

a) Instruments in which the sound is produced by striking, tapping, or shaking the instrument

b) Instruments in which the sound is produced by making the strings vibrate by bowing or plucking

c) Loud instruments

d) Instruments used in a marching band

4. Symmetrical means:

a) One side of the design is a mirror image of the other side

b) One side is smaller than the other side, but otherwise, it is the same

c) No two parts of the design are the same

d) A black and white design

Jimmy hit the wrong notes, and to make matters worse, he was off the beat. His teacher asked if

he had forgotten to check the signature on his sheet music before he started to play.

Tilly had played the piano since she took lessons as a young child, but lately she had becoming

interested in the drums. She was surprised to learn that both the piano and the drums were in

the percussion family of musical instruments.

Bill could mix lots of colors with his paints. He could mix brown orange, purple, and green, but he

knew that it was no use to try mixing red, yellow, or blue because they were primary colors.

Catrina drew a line lightly down the center of her snowflake design. She could see that her

snowflake was symmetrical; both sides were exactly alike. If she folded the snowflake along the

line she had drawn, the two sides would match perfectly.


Name_____________________________________________ Date__________________________

Multiple Meaning Words – Matching 1

Directions: Match each passage to the correct definition for the word in bold print.

A. The robber broke into the vault and stole the cash.

B. The runner learned how to vault over the hurdles.

1. _____ a secure locked box or room for storing

valuables

2. _____ to jump

C. Today’s math drill was the seven times tables.

D. When he lived in Texas, his job was to drill for oil.

3. _____ using machinery to bore a hole into the

ground

4. _____ a practice exercise

Directions: On the back of this paper, use each of these words in two sentences to

illustrate the two meanings of the words. Then, draw a small picture to illustrate each of

your sentences.

TIRE

5. A tire on a car

6. To get tired

BOWL

7. to roll a bowling ball

8. a container, such as a

mixing bowl or a cereal

bowl


Name_____________________________________________ Date__________________________



A. In the third inning of the game, his turn came to step out onto the pitcher’s mound.

B. She added lemon juice and sugar to the water in the pitcher to make lemonade.

1. _____ a container with a handle and a spout

for pouring drinks

2. _____ the baseball player who throws the ball

to the batter on the other team

C. The large group of contestants in the auditorium was screened to choose the ten

finalists.

D. Please pull down the screen so that we can begin the movie.

3. _____ a surface on which movies or slides may be

projected

4. _____ to select some individuals and reject others

from a group

Directions: On the back of this paper, use each of these words in two sentences to

illustrate the two meanings of the words. Then, draw a small picture to illustrate each of

your sentences.

STAPLE

5. A small metal paper

fastener

6. A food item that is used

regularly, such as flour or sugar

JUMPER

7. A sleeveless dress that is

worn over a blouse

8. A cable for starting a car’s

battery


Name_____________________________________________ Date__________________________



A. What did you really mean when you said that your dog ate your homework?

B. The cartoon showed one character being mean to his younger brother.

Directions: On the back of this paper, write two sentences to

illustrate two different meanings for each of the words below.

7. well 8. spell

C. To figure out what we would get on our report cards, we calculated the mean of

our daily grades.

D. The sole of this shoe is made of leather.

4. _____ a type of flatfish

5. _____ the only one

6. _____the bottom part of a shoe or boot

E. At the restaurant, she ordered sole with lemon sauce and a baked potato.

F. The firefighters rescued the sole survivor of the plane crash.

1. _____ to intend, or to have in mind

2. _____ the average of a group of numbers

3. _____ offensive, unkind


Answer Key

Calling All Canines 1. pet 2. no 3. movie 1. colors 2. trees 3. foods 1. low 2. jumping 3. dangerous At the Circus 1. performers 2. elephants 3. dull 1. down 2. train 3. roustabouts 1. polka-dotted 2. their 3. wet Take Me Out to the Ball Game 1. bats 2. round 3. younger 1. sports 2. add 3. packs 1. sale 2. baseball 3. peanuts

Speaking of Science

1. b 2. d 3. a 4. a

The Word on History 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. C

Mixing It Up with Music and Art

1. b 2. b 3. a 4. a

Multiple Meaning Words 1

1. a 2. b

3. d 4. c

5. Answers will vary. 6. Answers will vary.


1. b 2. a

3. d

4. c

5. Answers will vary.

6. Answers will vary.


1. a 2. c

3. b

4. e

5. f

6. d

7. Answers will vary. 8. Answers will vary.


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Topics Include:

The Writing Process

Figurative Language

Vocabulary

Using Context Clues

Multiple Meaning Words

Analogies

Story Starters

Puzzles

And more


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