Grade 2 Context Clues Worksheet

Learn to use synonyms (words that mean the same) and antonyms (words that mean the opposite) as context clues.

🌈 Learning Goals

Students learn to recognize similar and opposite word meanings to understand unfamiliar vocabulary.

🟰 Synonyms

Words that mean the same or similar things (happy = joyful)

↔️ Antonyms

Words that mean the opposite (hot ↔️ cold)

1

Exercise 1

Synonym Clue

The small kitten was tiny and fit in my hand.

What does "tiny" mean?

2

Exercise 2

Synonym Clue

The brave firefighter was courageous and not afraid.

What does "courageous" mean?

3

Exercise 3

Synonym Clue

The beautiful sunset was gorgeous with pink and orange colors.

What does "gorgeous" mean?

4

Exercise 4

Antonym Clue

The young child was not old.

What does "young" mean?

5

Exercise 5

Antonym Clue

The clean room was not dirty.

What does "clean" mean?

6

Exercise 6

Antonym Clue

The cold ice cream was not hot.

What does "cold" mean?

Context Clue Strategies for Grade 2

🔍 Look for Similar Words

Find words that mean almost the same thing as the unknown word

↔️ Notice Opposite Words

Look for words like "not," "unlike," or "but" that show opposites

📝 Read the Whole Sentence

All the words in a sentence work together to give meaning

🧠 Make Smart Guesses

Use what you know to figure out what makes sense