Context Clues Practice: Grade 10
This worksheet helps tenth-grade students practice determining the meaning of unfamiliar words using various types of context clues.
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Context Clues Practice
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Read each sentence carefully. Using the context clues provided, determine the meaning of the bolded word. Then, identify the type of context clue used (definition, synonym, antonym, example, or inference).
1. The ancient manuscript was so **abstruse** that only a few scholars could understand its complex meaning.
Meaning of abstruse:
Type of clue:
2. Unlike her loquacious brother, who talked incessantly, Emily was rather **taciturn**, preferring to communicate through gestures.
Meaning of taciturn:
Type of clue:
3. The chef's **culinary** skills were renowned; he could prepare any dish, from simple appetizers to elaborate desserts.
Meaning of culinary:
Type of clue:
4. In the sentence, "The speaker's **rhetoric** was so persuasive that the audience immediately agreed with his proposal," what does 'rhetoric' most likely mean?
A type of musical instrument
The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing
A formal debate
A written research paper
5. The detective found the witness's testimony to be full of **discrepancies**, as several parts of her story did not align with the evidence.
Accurate details
Minor errors
Inconsistencies; lack of agreement
Emotional statements
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
The old mansion stood **forlorn** on the hill, its windows like vacant eyes staring out at the desolate landscape. Years of neglect had taken their toll; the once vibrant garden was now a tangled mass of weeds, and the paint on the walls was peeling like sunburnt skin. A sense of profound **melancholy** pervaded the air, a quiet sadness that seemed to cling to every decaying brick and creaking floorboard. Locals whispered tales of its former inhabitants, a wealthy family whose fortunes had dramatically reversed, leaving the grand estate to crumble into ruin. The mansion, once a beacon of prosperity, had become a stark **monument** to forgotten grandeur and lost hopes.
6. What is the meaning of the word **forlorn** as it is used in the passage? Explain how you determined its meaning.
7. What is the meaning of the word **melancholy** as it is used in the passage? Explain how you determined its meaning.
8. What is the meaning of the word **monument** as it is used in the passage? Explain how you determined its meaning.