Definitions

Defining Words

Understanding what words mean is a key part of the 11+ exams. Some questions might ask children to define a word, choose the correct meaning from a list, or replace a tricky word with a synonym. These tasks test their vocabulary as well as how well they can use clues in the sentence to work things out.

This section shows children how to figure out word meanings, even when the words are unfamiliar or have more than one possible definition.

Using Context Clues

In 11+ reading papers, children aren’t just expected to read fluently; they’re expected to understand what words mean, including unfamiliar or more challenging vocabulary. Generally, they won’t be allowed to use a dictionary in their exam, so encourage them to learn a variety of words from different topics and expand their vocabulary in advance.

Some 11+ questions will ask your child what a certain word means. Often (though not always), these questions will be multiple choice, but instead of jumping straight to the answer options, it’s important they slow down and look at the words around the tricky word. This is called using context clues.

Reading the whole sentence (and often the one before or after) can give clues about what the word means, even if your child hasn’t seen it before.

Example:

‘Despite the bad weather, the hikers remained undeterred and continued their journey up the mountain.’

What does ‘undeterred’ mean? Choose the correct option from the list.

Let’s look at what’s happening: even though the weather was bad, the hikers kept going. That tells us they didn’t give up and they weren’t discouraged.

 

Now let’s look at the options.

A) Confused and disoriented

B) Discouraged and hesitant

C) Brave but unprepared

D) Not discouraged or stopped

E) Fully dependent on others

The right answer is D. Children can work it out by matching the meaning of the whole sentence to the word.

Tip: If a word is tricky, read the whole sentence and ask: What’s happening here? What would make sense in this situation?

 

 

Words with More Than One Meaning

 

 

Many words in English have more than one meaning. This can trip children up if they choose the first meaning they think of, instead of checking if it fits the sentence.

 

Example: ‘The car was lodged under the footbridge and couldn’t be moved.’

Children might think ‘lodged’ means ‘to stay somewhere’, like in a lodge, but that doesn’t work here. The sentence tells us the car couldn’t be moved, so ‘lodged’ must mean stuck or wedged in place.

 

Encourage your child to think carefully about how a word is being used in the sentence – the meaning that they are familiar with might not always make sense!

 

 

Let’s try another example. This time, let’s try to work out the meaning of the word ‘compound’ in this sentence:

 

‘The scientist carefully labelled each compound before storing it in the cabinet’

There are several possible definitions for ‘compound’ that your child may be familiar with…

Compound:

  1. A chemical substance made from two or more elements
  2. A type of sentence with more than one clause
  3. A fenced-in group of buildings
  4. To make something worse
  5. To add interest to money over time
  6. To mix or combine two or more things
  7. An enclosed area for prisoners or military staff

All of these are valid definitions of ‘compound’. But only one makes sense in the context.

The scientist is working with chemicals in this sentence.

So the right definition is…

A chemical substance made from two or more elements

This is the only meaning that makes sense when we think about compounds in a science lab. When they find an unfamiliar word, encourage your child to figure out the main ideas in the sentence and consider which meaning would make the most sense.

 

 

Be a Part-Time Thesaurus

 

 

Some 11+ reading questions will ask your child to swap one word for another with a similar meaning – just like using a thesaurus. This might sound simple, but it can be surprisingly tricky!

These questions check two things at once:

  • Vocabulary knowledge
  • Understanding of the sentence’s meaning

Tip: Exam questions often use the word ‘synonym’ – make sure that your child knows that this just means ‘a word with the same meaning’.

 

 

Let’s take a look at an example.

‘The concert was absolutely packed with fans.’

A question might ask:

Give a synonym for the word ‘packed’. 

Strong answers:

  • crowded
  • full
  • jammed

All of these show the idea of the concert being filled with people.

Now some weaker options:

  • exciting – this describes how it felt, not how many people were there
  • noisy – a large crowd might be noisy, but that’s not exactly what ‘packed’ means
  • huge – it’s too vague and doesn’t clearly mean ‘full of people’

 

 

 

This is where children can easily be caught out: a word might feel close, but if it doesn’t fully match the meaning and fit the sentence, it’s not the right answer.

 

 

Encourage your child to look closely at the sentence and ask:

  • What is this word telling me? What does it mean?
  • What word class is it in? (noun=thing, verb=action, adjective/adverb=description)
  • Does my replacement word mean exactly the same thing?
  • Is my replacement word in the same word class as the original word?
  • Does my replacement word fit in the sentence? (if the question mentions that it should)

The best synonyms keep the meaning almost exactly the same and fit smoothly into place within sentences.

Definitions Example Questions

Click here to see the text!

 

Q1 – Write a definition for the word ‘sharp’ used in this sentence:

‘Their sense of direction is so sharp that scientists once used them to carry messages in wartime’

In this sentence, sharp means:

  • accurate
  • very strong
  • very good
  • excellent
  • highly developed

Make sure you read the sentence carefully – we’re thinking about a good sense of direction here, not sharp objects!

Q2 – What does ‘carry’ mean in this part of the text?

‘scientists once used them to carry messages in wartime’

In this sentence, carry means:

  • transport
  • send
  • take
  • deliver

The context of this sentence shows us that the pigeons are working a bit like a postal service – it’s all about moving messages from one place to another.

Q3 – In the sentence ‘But pigeons are far more impressive than they first appear’, what does ‘appear’ mean?

In this sentence, appear means:

  • seem
  • look
  • suggest

This word can have lots of meanings, but the sentence is all about the first impressions that people get when they look at pigeons.

Q4 – Give synonyms for the following words used in the text:

  • sociable
  • ordinary
  • remarkable
  • clever

Sociable: 

  • friendly
  • companionable
  • cooperative

Ordinary:

  • Normal
  • Regular
  • Everyday
  • Familiar

Remarkable:

  • Impressive
  • Exceptional
  • Wonderful
  • Striking

Clever: 

  • Intelligent
  • Smart
  • Capable
  • Brainy

Q5 – Give a word or short phrase that means the same as ‘messages’ in this sentence:

‘scientists once used them to carry messages in wartime.’

In this sentences, messages means…

  • notes
  • letters
  • writing
  • correspondence
  • documents

Q6 – Give a word or short phrase that could replace ‘brilliantly’ in this part of the text, whilst keeping the meaning the same:

‘pigeons have adapted brilliantly to life in towns and cities’

Acceptable words and phrases include: 

  • very well
  • incredibly
  • fabulously
  • amazingly
  • marvellously