Context Clues

The ants were in a long line. They walked carrying crumbs from the picnic blanket to their home. All of the ants were evenly spaced apart, until the end, where there was a big gap in the line.

The word gap means:

• a space

• a curve

• a bump

Our poodle is in love with the dog next door. Every time both of them are in the backyard, our poodle stands by the fence for the longest time, watching the other dog run around and play. Our poodle loves to gaze at him through the fence.

The word gaze means:

• to stare

• to look at quickly

• to look down

We were driving in the country when we saw a village. It had a few houses and a few stores, so we stopped to try to find some lunch there.

The word village means:

• a state

• a big city

• a small town

When we go our new kitten, at first she was very shy. It was a long time before she felt comfortable with us. Everyday we played with her and held her and gradually, she became more friendly.

The word gradually means:

• a quick change

• taking place over time

• to graduate

My class took a field trip to the zoo. It was fun to see all the animals there. One animal that surprised me was the lion. Usually, he looks so fierce, but this time, since he was sleeping, he looked like a cuddly stuffed animals!

The word fierce means:

• mild

• competitive

• powerful

When my teacher told us we were going to learn about the phases of the Moon, I was worried. The names of the phases, like Waxing Crescent and Waning Gibbous seemed really hard. After we had a few lessons though, I felt like I was able to digest the information.

The word digest means:

• to break down food

• to understand something

• to be confused

My little brother's face was covered with chocolate frosting and crumbs were stuck on his cheeks. We knew right away what he had been doing. It was apparent he had gotten into the birthday cake early.

The word apparent means:

• doubtful

• sad

• obvious/clear

There were ten of us from my class who tried out for my school's spelling bee team. The words on the list were challenging, so I wondered how many of us would make it. I was surprised when the teacher told me that I was the sole team member from my class.

The word sole means:

• a type of fish that is flat

• the one and only

• the underside of your foot/shoe

When they looked into the bay, they saw a sea otter on the surface of the water, floating on its back. Then the otter dove under the water to find a clam. As it floated on its back again, it used a rock and cracked open the shell and ate the clam inside of the shell.

The word surface means:

• the top of something

• inside something

• underneath something

Same had many responsibilities. Besides school, he practiced trumpet every day and went to baseball practice two times a week. He also had a newspaper business and got up each morning an hour early to deliver the papers. Sam was an industrious person.

The word industrious means:

• hard working

• steady

• lazy