Word Position or Function As Context Clues Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: L.6.4.A

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

As young readers make their way into the middle level grades, they will encounter words that they are not familiar with at a much greater frequency. There are number of different ways to determine their meanings from using reference tools you have available to removing the word and using the words around it. In this section of our worksheets we will examine how you get a good idea of the meaning of a word by understanding its function in a sentence. This can be understood by taken in the whole sentence and looking at the position of the word within the sentence.

Word Position or Function Worksheets To Print:

Hello, Cruel World! – Wow! What a birthday this is.

The Bumblebee Bat – Did you ever know there was such a creature?

All the World's A Stage – A lesser known work of Shakespeare is the looked at.

Antonyms are Context Clues! – Attack these problems by replacing words and see what fits best.

A Country Walk – Read each word aloud to yourself. It will help you get a clear understanding of the word.

Prologue to a Strange Tale – For each underlined word, use the context clues or words that surround it to find the meaning. Write it on the line.

Brave New Art World – Ask yourself the nature of the word first.

A Fatuous Question – This is a very lengthy passage verb-wise.

The Nomadic Life – A nomadic community is a group of people that move from place to place, instead of settling in one place.

Wallace and Darwin – Read the passage. Then think of a synonym for each underlined word.

Mesopotamian Boats – Read the passage. Select the correct synonym for each underlined word. Write its letter on the line.

Old Marley – Read the passage. Then use the underlined words to fill in the chart below, matching each word to its correct definition.

The Epic of Gilgamesh – Use the context clues or words that surround each underlined word in the passage to find the meaning. Circle the word that is similar to it in meaning.

Wonder – Read the passage. Use context clues to help you select the correct synonym for each word below.

Samuel Gompers – Read the article. Then answer the questions.

How to Use Word Position as a Context Clue


Writers are usually advised to use simple words as possible. This is because not everyone understands the meaning of difficult and specific terms. It is best to avoid the usage of complex words. However, there are times when you have to incorporate such words in your writing. They are needed to allow a smooth flow of the text. In such cases, the writer should always keep in mind to provide context clues for the readers to comprehend the meaning themselves.


Whenever you come across such a word in the text that is difficult to understand, you should always take the help of context clues as they serve as the hints that are mentioned in the text near the word which assist in finding out the meaning of the word. These context clues come in all forms. You can comprehend the meaning of the sentence by yourself as context clue and guess the meaning of the word. Several other context clues are provided by the author that can be used to fathom the meaning of the word. Word position plays a huge role in determining the context clue. Here are some context clues that use word position.


Synonyms


Synonyms are words that are similar in meaning. They are spelled and pronounced in different ways but convey the same meaning. Usually, writers also mention the synonyms along with the unfamiliar word.


Antonyms


Another context clue that uses the word position is the antonym. Antonyms are words that are opposite in meaning. When antonyms are used as context clues, they are placed right after or before the unfamiliar word. The meaning of the antonym can be used to determine the meaning of the unfamiliar word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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