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Free Context Clues Worksheets

Short stories and passages with five new words each. The child works out what every word means from the sentences around it. Every passage has a question page and an answer key.

Context Clues Chart printable preview

Context Clues Chart

Chart

What to do at a new word, and four kinds of clues with an example of each. Read it together first.

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The Garden Surprise reading passageThe Garden Surprise comprehension questions

The Garden Surprise

2nd Grade

A story of 135 words with 6 questions. Answer key on page 3.

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The Desert at Night reading passageThe Desert at Night comprehension questions

The Desert at Night

2nd Grade

A nonfiction passage of 129 words with 6 questions. Answer key on page 3.

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The Lost Mitten reading passageThe Lost Mitten comprehension questions

The Lost Mitten

2nd Grade

A story of 132 words with 6 questions. Answer key on page 3.

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Camping Under the Stars reading passageCamping Under the Stars comprehension questions

Camping Under the Stars

2nd Grade

A story of 127 words with 6 questions. Answer key on page 3.

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About these context clues worksheets

Context clues are the words and sentences around a new word that help a reader work out what it means. In these passages the new words are printed in bold, and the clue is always in the same paragraph.

The questions ask what each word means, and a crayon beside the question asks the child to underline the clue in that color. The last question has the child use one of the words in a sentence of their own.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grade are these context clues worksheets for?
Second grade. The target words are above grade level on purpose (enormous, nocturnal, drowsy), but the clues that explain them are written in simple words.
What are the crayons next to the questions for?
They ask for the clue. The child underlines the words in the passage that helped, using the crayon color printed beside the question. The answer key quotes the same words.
Do the worksheets have answer keys?
Yes. Each PDF is three pages: the passage, the questions and the answer key.