What is this skill?
A context clue is something in the sentence, or the ones around it, that helps a reader work out a word they have not met. Third graders learn to stop and use the surroundings instead of skipping the word or asking for help. If a puppy is so famished that it gobbles up its whole bowl in one minute, the rest of the sentence tells you famished means very hungry.
Each question in this practice shows a short passage with one bold word and four meanings to choose from. The words are the kind children meet in third and fourth grade books: famished, exhausted, transparent, reluctant, fragile, devoured, chaos, timid, abundance, persevered and ancient. The clues come in different shapes. Sometimes the sentence says what happens next (we could see the fish swimming, so the water was clear). Sometimes it gives a contrast, like Jamal marching up to a clown to shake hands, "unlike his timid sister," who hid behind Mom. Other times it gives an example, like papers flying and kids shouting in a classroom that was in chaos. Two yes-or-no questions ask whether a given meaning fits the sentence, for example whether drowsy means wide awake when Grandpa's eyes are drooping.
Why it matters
Vocabulary is the engine of reading comprehension, and children cannot meet every word with a dictionary. In third grade they start to see words in books that nobody has taught them, and using the sentence to decide is the skill that keeps them reading instead of stopping.
Better readers get better at this each year because every word they meet leaves a partial meaning behind. A child who has learned that reluctant goes with poking at food and refusing to try it now has a place to put the word when it turns up in a novel.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a meaning from how the word looks or sounds. Reluctant may remind a child of something else. Ask them to cover the word and say what would make sense in its place.
- Fixing on one clue and missing the contrast. When the sentence says "unlike," the word usually means the opposite of what comes next. Teach your child to circle little words like unlike, but and however.
- Picking a meaning that sounds right in general but not here. A word may have more than one meaning, and the passage decides which.
- Giving up when the clue is in the next sentence. Remind them that context includes the lines before and after.
How to help at home
- When your child asks what a word means, ask first, "What do you think, from the sentence?" Then confirm or fix their guess.
- Play the swap game. Replace the hard word with "blank" and have your child suggest three words that would fit.
- Keep a family list of new words, each with the sentence where it turned up. The sentence matters more than the definition.
- Read aloud above your child's level now and then. Hearing words in a story is how most of their vocabulary grows.
Worked examples
These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus context clues practice, with the answers worked out.
Example 1
What does the bold word mean?
Leo was reluctant to try the new food. He poked it with his fork for a long time before taking one tiny bite.
Choices: Not wanting to, Happy, Eager, Hungry
Answer: Not wanting to. Reluctant means not wanting to do something. Leo poked the food and waited.
Example 2
True or false: In this sentence, "drowsy" means wide awake.
After the big lunch, Grandpa grew drowsy. His eyes drooped and his head nodded.
Answer: False. False. Drowsy means sleepy. Drooping eyes and a nodding head are clues.
Example 3
What does the bold word mean?
The museum guide asked us not to touch the ancient vase. It was made more than 2,000 years ago.
Choices: Broken, Very expensive, Brand new, Very old
Answer: Very old. Ancient means very old. The vase is more than 2,000 years old.
Printable worksheet (PDF) — one page of questions from this practice that work on paper, easier ones first, with an answer key on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.