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English · Guide 4 of 4

Word meanings and words in context

A strong vocabulary is the secret weapon of the 11+. Learn how to work out what a word means from the sentence around it, its parts and its shades of meaning, even when you've never seen it before.

  • Ages 9 to 11
  • 11+ English
  • Worked examples

What is it?

Vocabulary questions ask what a word means, which word is closest in meaning (a synonym), which is the opposite (an antonym), or which word best fills a gap. The words are often harder than everyday words: reluctant, ancient, conceal, jubilant.

The sentence a word sits in is called its context, and it gives you clues. This guide covers word meanings in any 11+ question; for words in a comprehension passage, see Vocabulary in context, and for synonym and antonym puzzles, see Synonyms and antonyms.

A typical question

Tom was reluctant to jump into the icy water.Which word is closest in meaning to ‘reluctant’? eager, unwilling, quick, proud

How to spot it

  • 'Which word is closest in meaning to…?' or 'Which word means the same as…?'.
  • 'Which word is the opposite of…?'.
  • 'Choose the best word to complete the sentence.'
  • A word in bold or quotation marks inside a sentence.

Step-by-step method

  1. Step 1: Read the whole sentence and picture what is happening.
  2. Step 2: Cover the word and think of your own simple word that would fit the gap.
  3. Step 3: Look for clue words nearby: 'but' and 'although' signal a contrast; 'and' and 'because' signal something similar.
  4. Step 4: Use word parts: a prefix (un-, mis-), a root (port = carry, aqua = water) or a suffix (-less = without).
  5. Step 5: Try each option in the sentence in place of the word. Cross out the ones that change the meaning.
  6. Step 6: Check the word class matches: a describing word needs a describing word, a doing word needs a doing word.

Worked examples

Example 1: using the context

Question: Tom was reluctant to jump into the icy water. 'reluctant' means: eager, unwilling, quick, proud?
  1. Step 1: Picture it: the water is icy, so Tom probably doesn't want to jump.
  2. Step 2: My own word: 'not keen'. Which option matches? 'eager' is the opposite; 'quick' and 'proud' don't fit icy water.
  3. Step 3: The closest is unwilling.

Answer: unwilling

Example 2: a word with more than one meaning

Question: 'The bat flew out of the cave at dusk.' Which meaning of 'bat' is used here?
  1. Step 1: 'bat' can be a stick for hitting a ball, a flying animal, or 'to bat' (have a turn hitting).
  2. Step 2: It flew out of a cave at dusk: only the animal does that.

Answer: a small flying animal

Example 3: shades of meaning

Question: Put these in order from weakest to strongest: scorching, warm, hot.
  1. Step 1: Words can mean nearly the same thing with different strengths.
  2. Step 2: warm is pleasantly heated; hot is more than warm; scorching is so hot it could burn.

Answer: warm, hot, scorching

Example 4: using a root word

Question: What does 'portable' mean?
  1. Step 1: Split it: port + able. 'port' means carry (transport, porter); '-able' means can be.
  2. Step 2: So portable means able to be carried: a portable speaker is one you can carry around.

Answer: able to be carried

Example 5: a contrast clue

Question: 'Although the room looked tidy, the cupboards were in chaos.' What does 'chaos' mean?
  1. Step 1: 'Although' tells you the second half is the opposite of the first.
  2. Step 2: The opposite of tidy is very messy, so chaos means total mess and disorder.

Answer: total mess or disorder

Common traps

  • Choosing a word that's linked, not the same

    For 'ancient', 'castle' is linked but doesn't mean the same. Look for a word you could swap in: 'very old'.

  • Picking the opposite by mistake

    Exams often include the antonym as an option ('eager' for 'reluctant'). Re-read whether the question asks for the same or the opposite.

  • Using the everyday meaning

    'Bright' can mean full of light or clever. Choose the meaning that fits this sentence.

  • Not trying the swap

    Always put your answer into the sentence. If it sounds wrong, check the other options again.

Top tips

  • Read widely: stories, non-fiction and newspapers. Note down five new words a week with their meanings.
  • Learn some useful roots: aqua (water), bio (life), graph (write), port (carry), tele (far), aud (hear), vis (see).
  • When you learn a word, learn a synonym and an antonym with it: generous, kind, mean.
  • Play word games: guess the meaning from the sentence first, then check in a dictionary.

Practice questions

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9 practice questions on this topic, from easy to 11+ level. Reading the guide is free for everyone; practice is for members, and signing up is free.

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