Context Clues
- Context Clues
Context is the text that surrounds a word: the other words in its sentence and the sentences nearby. Context clues are hints in that text. They help a reader figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word, which is a word the reader has not learned yet.
Where to Look
Look within the sentence first. The clue may be right next to the word or a few words away.
If the sentence does not explain the word, look beyond the sentence. Read the sentences before and after it, or the rest of the paragraph.
Kinds of Context Clues
Definition or restatement (signal words: or, that is, which means, in other words)
The doctor said that Ana's wrist was fractured, which means broken.
Synonym (a word nearby with almost the same meaning)
Marcus was elated. He was so happy that he danced around the kitchen. Elated means very happy.
Antonym (signal words: but, unlike, instead, however)
Jada was reserved at parties, unlike her sister, who chatted with everyone. Reserved means quiet and private.
Example (signal words: such as, for example, including)
Many marine animals, such as whales, crabs, and sea stars, live along this coast. Marine means having to do with the sea.
Details (no signal words; the reader puts the facts together)
The desert was parched. No rain had fallen for months, and the ground was cracked. Parched means very dry.
How to Use Context Clues
1. Find the unfamiliar word.
2. Read the whole sentence. Watch for signal words, like or, but, and such as.
3. If the sentence is not enough, read beyond it.
4. Decide on a meaning that fits all of the clues.
5. Replace the word with that meaning, and reread the sentence to check it.
1. The unfamiliar word is agile. It describes the hummingbird.
2. Look within the sentence. The bird can hover in one spot, dart sideways, and even fly backward.
3. A bird that changes direction so easily must move quickly and with great control.
4. Agile means able to move quickly and easily. Check it: a bird that moves quickly and easily could move in all of those ways. The meaning fits every clue.
1. The unfamiliar word is illegible. Its own sentence tells us only that the map was old.
2. Look beyond the sentence. Water had smeared the ink. No one could read the street names.
3. Put the details together. When ink is smeared, the words become blurry and hard to make out.
4. Illegible means impossible to read. The clues came from the two sentences after the word.
- Multiple-Meaning Words
Many words have more than one meaning. When a word has several meanings, the context shows which one is relevant, or fits the text. To choose, list the meanings, then test each one against the clues.
1. Pitch can mean to throw a ball, how high or low a sound is, or to set up a tent.
2. Look for clues. The campers had a tent, and they needed flat ground before dark.
3. Test each meaning. Campers do not throw a tent to a batter, and a tent is not a sound.
4. Here, pitch means to set up. It is the relevant meaning because it fits every clue.
Next, practice using context clues to find the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words.
4th Grade Reading - Context Clues Lesson