Unlock Unknown and Multiple-Meaning Words

Use context, word position/function, Greek and Latin roots or affixes, and reference tools to determine or verify precise word meaning.

How the lesson starts: Unlock Unknown and Multiple-Meaning Words

Juno's key ring
Meet Juno, a hedgehog locksmith. Juno says every unknown word is a locked door. Her first key is the context key. It uses the words around the mystery word to unlock it.
Kinds of clues
Context clues come in flavors. A definition tells you right away. An example names things in the group. A contrast gives an opposite. And a cause or effect shows what the word does. Hunt for whichever flavor is there.
Worked example: arid
The trail was so arid that not one puddle remained, and the plants had shriveled. What does arid mean? No puddles, shriveled plants. Those are effects of no water. Arid must mean very dry. Test it: the trail was so very dry. It fits!