Context Clues
Directions: read
each sentence and determine the meaning of the word using context clues or your
prior knowledge. Then, underline the words in the sentence that led you to your
answer.
1. inquisitive: Some
people think that my little brother is annoying because he asks so many
questions, but I think that he just has an inquisitive
nature.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
2. oblong: It is
hard to catch a football that has been fumbled because the oblong shape of the ball makes it difficult to predict where it
will bounce.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
3. prevalent: After
seeing a third teenager walk by with a mullet, Clint reasoned that it must be
one of the more prevalent hair
styles of the day.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
4. spectacles: "I
wish I had brought my spectacles,"
the old librarian remarked as she squinted and strained to read the text.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
5. writhe: After
being bitten by snake, the cowboy writhed
in pain on the ground.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
6. diplomacy: General
Kang was more than a brave commander. He was a good man, for he knew better
than to rush into battle when there was still time for diplomacy.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
7. oblige: The
last thing Bruce wanted to do was get in a fight, but when he saw the mugger
grab the old woman, Bruce felt obliged to
assist her.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
8. subservient: Don't
tell Beth! She's so subservient to
Mom that she'll probably let her know about it and spoil the surprise.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
9. daintily: The
Snow Princess nibbled daintily at
her cake, holding her teacup by the handle between her thumb and index finger
with her other three fingers high in the air.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
10. dilute: This
tea tastes absolutely terrible but if you dilute
it with some water, you'll be able to stomach it.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
11. diligence: Brent
wasn't the smartest kid in his class, but because of his dedication and diligence, he graduated as the
valedictorian.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
12. inconceivable: It
seemed inconceivable to me that
Brenda was unaware of Andy's feeling for her, particularly after he wrote that
poem for her and read it to the entire class.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
13. universal: Jim wanted to ask Janet to the dance, but he
felt it a universally acknowledged
truth that popular girls like her didn’t go with unpopular guys like him.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
14. extraordinary:
Kevin may know how to layup a basketball, but my jump shot is extraordinary.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
15. establish: Even
though peace between the two formerly warring nations had been established for years now, the solider
still woke cold from dreams of battle.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
16. scrupulous: I
wanted to just set the table and be done with it, but my mother scrupulously arranged each napkin,
dish, and utensil until they were in perfect alignment.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
17. consent: Jake asked his mother for
permission to go to his friend Rodney’s dance party, stating that his grades
had improved, and he was quite pleased when she consented.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
18. vexed: When Jose found out that his
little brother Emilio carelessly broke Jose’s Xbox disc tray, Jose was vexed and sure let Emilio know it.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
19. tact: Jane
could have easily offended Bertha when she informed her that the dress did not
fit her well, but Jane used tact and
consideration when choosing her words, so Bertha understood without being hurt.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
20. emphatic: Her parents really wanted her
to attend the local university, but Shaniqua argued her case so emphatically and with such great
passion, that her parents gave Shaniqua their consent
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
21. amends: After Brian broke Darcy’s heart
this last time, he will have to make some serious amends if he ever wants to win her back.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
22. conjecture: Stanley tried to determine
the meaning of the vocabulary word, but there were so few clues in the sentence
all he could do was hopelessly conjecture
as to what the word might mean.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
23. ascertain: The clues in the sentence
were so helpful, Stanley was able to ascertain
the meaning of the word beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
24. defer: Kyle really wanted to play
basketball, but since it overlapped with the volleyball season (and since
Carrie played volleyball), he would just have to defer his hoop-dreams until next year, when his relationship with
her would be secure.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
25. Disposition: Unlike his sister Cattie,
who had a very calm and mellow disposition, John jumped on Sofas and ran through
the house like an animal kingdom.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
26. amiable: If you go to the party wearing
your best smile, laugh good naturedly, and try your dance steps out (even if
you aren’t the best dancer), you will attract attention with your amiable disposition.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
27. scarce: Due to the scarcity of food in her territory, the mother lioness had to roam
far from safe ground to find a meal for her child.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
28. fastidious: When John saw his report
card, he was excited because he had all As and an A- in Biology; but when his fastidious mother saw his report card,
she shook her head in disappointment.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
29. conceited: When Jana noticed her
daughter Kylie starring at herself and posing in every reflection that they
passed, Jana worried that Kylie was growing a bit conceited. .
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
30. candor: After weeks of avoiding him,
Annie finally found the courage to tell David that she wasn’t interested in
him; and even though David was heart broken, he appreciated her candor.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
31. ostentatious: Amy wanted to wear the
simple white dress to the dance but her friend Emilia kept pushing her to buy
this big, puffy, golden ballroom gown as ostentatious
as it was expensive.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
32. endeavor: John may have been excited
about becoming an artist, but his mother was waiting to see if he’d see this endeavor through before buying him the
expensive paint kit.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
33. provoke: I didn’t want to fight him,
but he provoked me by insulting my
family and I lost control.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
34. engross: The young child was so engrossed by the flashing lights on the
toy train that when his mother asked him if he wanted a piece of chocolate
cake, he didn’t even respond.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
35. deficient: Zach wanted to play football
with the other kids but, with his horrible deficiencies
in coordination, he couldn’t catch or throw the ball.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
36. benevolence: The children in the
orphanage might have starved had it not been for the benevolence of the nuns, who sacrificed their own small salaries to
provide food for the children.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
37. lamentable: Lia,
it is lamentable that you and
Derrick separated, but it has almost been a year. Don't you think that it's
about time to move on with your life?
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
38. adorn: To
prepare the cafeteria for the big dance, the planning committee adorned the walls with colorful
streamers and balloons.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
39. ambuscade: Ducked
down in the tall grass, the warriors waited patiently on the hillside for the
next group unfortunate enough to walk through their ambuscade.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
40. uninhabitable: The flood caused toxic molds to grow on the walls of our old house and
now it is uninhabitable.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
41. opaque: Brian
attempted to see who was riding inside of the limousine, but the opaque window tinting prevented him
from getting even the slightest glimpse.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
42. parsimonious:
Due to his parsimonious nature,
Brian enjoys borrowing movies from the library and copying them, buying day old
bread from the bakery, and recording music from the radio even though he has a
lot of money.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
43. insolence: Katie
talked back to the principal and called him by his first name so he sent her to
the office for her insolence.
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
44. rebuke: After
the players got caught cheating on the exam, the coach rebuked them harshly.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
45. eminence: Large
companies and wealthy clients wanted Donzo to take their pictures, as Donzo was
well known for his eminence in
photography.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
46. obsequies: "Teacher,
you forgot to assign homework," said James, expressing the obsequies nature that made him
unpopular.
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
47. aversion: John
gave me two tickets to the basketball game, but I have an aversion to going to crowded places like sports arenas, so would
you like to have them?
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
48. pertinent: The
principal concluded his speech, "Now that I have introduced the new
program, I will answer a few questions, so long as they are pertinent to the
matter at hand."
Definition:
___________________________________________________________________________
Answers:
1. Curious, showing a desire to learn
2. Having a wider rectangular or oval shape
3. Widespread or popular at a particular time
4. Eyeglasses
5. To make squirming motions; to respond wth great
discomfort
6. The art of resolving problems through communication
7. To be required to do something by law or moral code
8. One who unquestionably obeys another
9. Done in a delicate or refined manner
10. To reduce the potency or thickness of a liquid by adding
water or another liquid
11. Working carefully and persistently for a long period of
time
12. Unbelievable; unable to be imagined
13. Something that remains consistent everywhere
14. Remarkably good
15. Put into place; enact
16. With great attention to detail
17. To give permission
18. Angry, irate
19. Dealing with an embarrassing situation carefully, so as
not to give offense
20. Stated with conviction
21. Paying someone back for wronging them
22. A guess; something unproven that is thought to be
true
23. To find out with certainty; to discover and
establish
24. To postpone
25. someone’s temperament or habitual mood
26. Friendly, kind
27. Rarity, an inadequate amount of something
28. Excessively particular; fussy about details
29. Having a very opinion of oneself
30. The state of being sincere, honest, open
31. Overly showy, gaudy, intending to attract attention
32. To try something
33. To cause someone to get annoyed or angry; to try to “get
a rise out of” someone
34. Completely engaged or absorbed in something
35. Inadequate, incomplete
36. Good nature; charity
37. something that causes great sadness or regret
38. To make something look better by adding something
39. An ambush or surprise attack from a concealed location
40 Not suitable to live in
41. Not able to be seen through; light cannot pass
through
42. Cheap or unwilling to spend money that you have
43. Rude or disrespectful behavior
44. To express strong disapproval;criticize
45. Regarded as the best at something; famed
superiority
46. Servile; subservient; attentive to one’s superiors in a
way that others find unappealing; “kissing up”
47. A strong dislike for
something; a powerful desire to avoid something
48. Relevant to a particular issue
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