Using context clues to

understand unknown
vocabulary
Can you give a definition of the
following words?

Raucous

Ubiquitous

Advocate
 Sometimes, we see words we don’t
understand when we are reading a
passage. We can look it up to see what it
means, but in certain situations, we need
to know the context to know its real
meaning. Besides, discovering the
meaning of word is much more
rewarding.
The Rio de Janeiro Carnival is a raucous
celebration, as people shouts and cheers, dances,
blows whistles, and pounds on drums.

Raucous means:

a. Boring
b. Noisy
c. Dangerous
Cellphones have become ubiquitous; you can see
them –and hear them– everywhere.

Ubiquitous means:

a. Expensive
b. Complicated
c. Widespread
Those who advocate for capital punishment
offering argue that it prevents crime, but those
who oppose it say it has no such effect .

Advocate means:

a. Support
b. Disregard
c. Resist
 Context clues are hints
found in a text that help
readers determine the
meaning of a difficult word.
What does ravenous mean?

A.Could I have a piece of bread?

I missed breakfast and I'm
simply ravenous.
B.The poor horse was ravenous,
so it ate the leaves and bark of
the trees.
2. What does “squall”
mean?

A. The squall arrived so

suddenly that we all got
wet when we ran home
from the beach.

B. When they saw the

squall coming, the sailors
took down the sail and
headed to the port.
3. What does “soggy” mean?

A. The window had been left

open during the storm and my
papers were a soggy mess
B. We gathered up the soggy
towels and bathing suits and
hanged them all in the sun to
dry.
Let’s practice:

Made-up words challenge

 Instructions:

What is the meaning of the crazy, make-believe word

that is underlined in each sentence? Circle the correct
meaning. Then circle at least two clue words that
helped you to figure out the meaning of the word.
 Most common context clues:

1.A synonym context clue uses words and

phrases that have similar meanings:

Speaking in front of a group disconcerts Alan.

Even answering a question in class embarrasses
him.

Disconcerts means... to make someone feel

worried or uncertain.
2.An antonym context clue uses the opposite meaning
of other words to help readers understand the meaning
of the unfamiliar word. They are commonly introduced
by contrasting words or phrases such as however,
but, in contrast, yet, while, etc.

The water is pretty shallow around here. But be careful

around the other end of the pool where it is deep.

Shallow means… not deep

3. Examples are words given that help define the
term. They are often introduced with signal words
like for example, for instance, including, and such
as:

Nocturnal creatures, such as bats and owls, have

highly developed senses that enable them to
function in the dark.

Nocturnal means… active at night

4. Definition context clues give the reader the actual
meaning of the word in the sentence:

Camouflage, or protective coloring, helps the animal

hide.

Camouflage means… protective coloring.

5. Finally, you can use the general sense of the

sentence or the passage.
Nearpod / https://www.liveworksheets.com/rl1542807fd