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 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/classroom-in-the-middle
Name 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. 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). 1. activity, pet, vehicle, fun 2. black, brown, large, no 3. book, movie, music video, commercial 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. 1. colors, sizes, shapes, breeds 2. crayons, paint colors, dogs, trees 3. trees, animals, foods, dogs 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. 1. red, white, low, high 2. calling, jumping, writing, walking 3. mild, bright, dangerous, healthful
Name At the Circus Context Clues Choose the Correct Word Directions: Read each passage, and then circle the correct word to fill in each blank space. 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. 1. clowns, animals, performers, tents 2. elephants, clowns, acrobats, music 3. funny, exciting, summer, dull 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! 1. inside, outside, carefully, down 2. train, tent, truck, trailer 3. performers, ringmasters, roustabouts, lions 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. 1. plain, polka-dotted, tan, business-like 2. his, her, their, there 3. dry, red, green, wet
Name Take Me Out to the Ball Game Context Clues Choose the Correct Word Directions: Read each passage, and then circle the correct word to fill in each blank space. Baseball bats have been around for a long time. Before there were standard, factorymade 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. 1. balls, bats, gloves, diamonds 2. round, square, wooden, tall 3. baseball, tall, younger, National League 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. 1. music, sports, TV, soccer 2. add, subtract, talk, practice 3. collectors, pictures, boxes, packs 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. 1. sale, breakfast, fun, free 2. football, baseball, country, rock 3. peanuts, hamburgers, eggs, cotton candy
Name 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. 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. 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 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. 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 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. 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 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. 4. Potential energy means: a) Stored energy b) Energy in motion c) Electrical energy d) Mechanical energy
Name Date The Word on History Context Clues Choose the Correct Definition Directions: Read each sentence, and then choose the correct definition for the word in bold print. 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. 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 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. 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 The factory workers made textiles from cotton. Their colorful fabrics were used to make clothing that was sold all across the country. 3. Textiles means: a) Clothing b) Dresses c) Fabrics d) Factories 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. 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
Name Mixing It Up with Music and Art Context Clues Choose the Correct Definition Directions: Read each sentence, and then choose the correct definition for the word in bold print. 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. 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 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. 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 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. 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 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. 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
Name 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 Multiple Meaning Words Matching 2 Directions: Match each passage to the correct definition for the word in bold print. 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 Multiple Meaning Words Matching 3 Directions: Match each passage to the correct definition for the word in bold print. 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. C. To figure out what we would get on our report cards, we calculated the mean of our daily grades. 1. to intend, or to have in mind 2. the average of a group of numbers 3. offensive, unkind D. The sole of this shoe is made of leather. 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. 4. a type of flatfish 5. the only one 6. the bottom part of a shoe or boot 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
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. Multiple Meaning Words 2 1. b 2. a 3. d 4. c 5. Answers will vary. 6. Answers will vary. Multiple Meaning Words 3 1. a 2. c 3. b 4. e 5. f 6. d 7. Answers will vary. 8. Answers will vary.
More Classroom Materials from Classroom in the Middle PowerPoint Presentations Worksheet Sets Smartboard Activities Question Card Sets Task Card Sets Topics Include: The Writing Process Figurative Language Vocabulary Using Context Clues Multiple Meaning Words Analogies Story Starters Puzzles And more http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/classroom-in-the-middle