Focus on Vocabulary: Use Context Clues for Multiple-Meaning Words

Many English words have more than one meaning. They are called multiple-meaning words. In the dictionary, the different meanings are numbered.

EXAMPLEI made a table with facts about the planets. I worked at the kitchen table.
Dictionary Entry table (tā-bul) noun 1 a piece of furniture with a flat top, supported by legs 2 information arranged in rows and columns

How the Strategy Works

As you read, you may find a multiple-meaning word and may not know which meaning is being used. The best way to figure out the appropriate meaning is to use context clues. Follow these steps:

  • 1. Look at other words in the sentence.

  • 2. Read the sentences that come before and after to find more clues.

  • 3. Use the clues to determine a meaning that makes sense.

  • 4. Replace the word with the meaning, and say the sentence. If it does not make sense, look in a dictionary for more meanings.

Use the strategy to figure out the meaning of each underlined word.

Stars in the night sky look like tiny points of light. The North Star, however, is more than a twinkling dot. Throughout history, people have used the North Star to determine which direction is north. This bright star is located in a group of stars called the Little Dipper. It is at the tip of the handle of the dipper. It shines above the North Pole, the most northern point on Earth.

Strategy in Action

“ The words tiny and dot in the first two sentences are clues. They tell me that points probably means ‘small spots.’”

Illustration of the check icon REMEMBER You can use context clues to figure out the appropriate meaning of a multiple-meaning word.

Academic Vocabulary

  • • appropriate (u-prō-prē-ut) adjective If something is appropriate, it is correct for the situation.