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Context Clues Detective Worksheet

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Context Clues Detective Worksheet

Use the surrounding words and details to work out unfamiliar vocabulary. For each answer, name the clue type where asked and explain the evidence from the text.

Identify the clue types

Match each context-clue type to its description. Write the correct letter beside each type.

Spot the clues

Read each sentence, then identify the type of context clue that best helps explain the bold word.

1.At the sanctuary, the vet’s instructions were ambiguous: Oliver and Rory could not tell whether the medicine should be given before or after feeding. Which clue type helps explain “ambiguous”?

Definition clue
Explanation clue
Synonym clue
Antonym clue

2.Callum found a keepsake in the aviary: a small object saved because it reminded him of a special day. Which clue type helps explain “keepsake”?

Antonym clue
Definition clue
Inference clue
Example clue

3.The usually composed owl became visibly flustered, pacing and giving sharp calls when visitors approached. What does “flustered” most likely mean, and which clue type supports your answer?

Use the passage

Read the passage carefully. Use its examples and contrasts to infer the bold words.

The sanctuary team recorded the fauna of the marsh enclosure: herons, frogs, dragonflies and many other animals. A pair of ducks had a mutualistic arrangement with the cattle nearby: the birds ate insects stirred up by the cattle, while the cattle benefited from having pests removed. The survey was laborious. Rather than sit at a desk, Oliver and Rory waded through muddy reeds in the heat, checking each section before they could finish.

4.In the passage, what does “fauna” mean? Give the clue that helped you.

5.What does “mutualistic” mean in the passage? Explain how the nearby details support your answer.

6.What does “laborious” mean? Which contrast in the passage helps you infer it?

7.Which words or phrases in the passage act as context clues for “fauna”, “mutualistic” and “laborious”? Give one clue for each word.

Build a clue-rich sentence

Create your own context clue and show how it works.

8.Choose one word—resilient, wary, or secluded—and write a sentence about an animal at a wildlife sanctuary. Include enough context for a reader to infer the word’s meaning.

9.For your sentence, name the context-clue type you used and point to the words that provide the clue.

10.Explain in two or three sentences how context clues can help you when you meet an unfamiliar word while reading.

11.Write one unfamiliar word you worked out in this worksheet and identify the clue type that helped you understand it.

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More English Worksheets

Context Clues Detective Worksheet

Context Clues Detective Worksheet

Identify the clue types

Spot the clues

Use the passage

Build a clue-rich sentence

3 printable pages

About This Worksheet

Free in Kuraplan

Print-Ready

AI-Generated

For Teachers & Parents

Need a custom version of this worksheet?

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