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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Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
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.
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
Name_______________________________________________
At the Circus
Context Clues – Choose the Correct Word
Date__________________________
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
Name______________________________________________
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Context Clues – Choose the Correct Word
Date__________________________
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
Name_____________________________________________
Speaking of Science
Context Clues – Choose the Correct Definition
Date__________________________
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
c) A serious, contagious disease
b) A shot to prevent certain diseases
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
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
c) Fabrics
b) Dresses
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
Name_____________________________________________
Date__________________________
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
c) Orange, purple, green, and brown
b) Colors that cannot be created by mixing
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
Name_____________________________________________
Multiple Meaning Words – Matching 1
Date__________________________
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
BOWL
7. to roll a bowling ball
5. A tire on a car
6. To get tired
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
8. a container, such as a
mixing bowl or a cereal
bowl
Name_____________________________________________
Multiple Meaning Words – Matching 2
Date__________________________
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
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
Date__________________________
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
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
Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian
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
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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
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Copyright © 2012 Sharon Fabian