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Year 8 English — Vocabulary in context

Work out what an unfamiliar word means from the sentence around it.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1."The old man walked slowly, leaning on a stick for support." Which single word in that sentence means "help to stay upright"?

  2. 2."The instructions were ambiguous, so half the class did the wrong task." What does "ambiguous" mean?

    • a) written down
    • b) open to more than one meaning
    • c) very clear
    • d) spoken loudly

  3. 3."The scarcity of water forced the village to dig a new well." What does "scarcity" mean?

    • a) plenty
    • b) sweetness
    • c) quality
    • d) shortage

  4. 4.Match each term to its meaning.

    • a synonym
    • an antonym
    • context
    • a definition
    • a word with almost the same meaning
    • a word with the opposite meaning
    • the words around a word that hint at its meaning
    • a statement of exactly what a word means

  5. 5."The path was so narrow that we had to walk in single file." What does "narrow" mean here?

    • a) wide
    • b) muddy
    • c) steep
    • d) not wide

  6. 6."He spoke in a feeble voice that we could barely hear." What does "feeble" mean?

    • a) angry
    • b) weak
    • c) cheerful
    • d) loud

  7. 7.Match each word to its meaning.

    • reluctant
    • abundant
    • vivid
    • fragile
    • weary
    • cautious
    • unwilling to do something
    • careful about danger
    • easily broken
    • very tired
    • present in large amounts
    • bright and clear

  8. 8."The judge was impartial and favoured neither side." Which single word in that sentence means "fair to both sides"?

Answer key — Year 8 English — Vocabulary in context

  1. 1. support
  2. 2. b) open to more than one meaning
  3. 3. d) shortage
  4. 4. a synonym → a word with almost the same meaning; an antonym → a word with the opposite meaning; context → the words around a word that hint at its meaning; a definition → a statement of exactly what a word means
  5. 5. d) not wide
  6. 6. b) weak
  7. 7. reluctant → unwilling to do something; abundant → present in large amounts; vivid → bright and clear; fragile → easily broken; weary → very tired; cautious → careful about danger
  8. 8. impartial