Free Vocabulary Paper

Having a broad vocabulary is crucial to success at 11+. We have put together a free list of tricky words for children to have a go at where they can try to work out the meanings of words in context. Answers are at the bottom!

 

Vocabulary booster

Read the short passages below then circle the word closest in meaning to the word in bold:

1. The captain looked out at the gloomy horizon, worry etched over his face. The tempest was closing in and the ship had nowhere to hide.

pirates                         storm                          water                          treasure

2. As the climber lunged for the crevasse above her, she felt a gust of wind. Time seemed to slow as her fingertips grazed the roughness above but failed to find a grip.

fissure                         climber                        rope                            hold

3. With trepidation, the boy slowly dipped his toe in the water. Emitting a small yelp, he withdrew his toe and looks around embarrassed; it was far too cold, but he couldn’t lose face in front of his cousins.

excitement                  apprehension              speed             enthusiasm

4. The crowd clapped and roared as the gymnast made his way towards the apparatus. This was his swansong and his audience were desperate to see him win a gold on the last performance of his career.

 

peak                            finale               moment                      performance

5. On the stage, the performer recited their lines with confidence.

delivered                     forgot              wrote              received

6. As the girl leafed through the supposed first-edition comic, she felt dubious about its authenticity.

 

confident                    excited            flummoxed                 doubtful

7. The grotesque gargoyles glared down uninvitingly at the group of school children as they approached the menacing cathedral.

ugly                 picturesque                 detailed                       impressive

8. Ali rifled through the drawers, desperately searching for the precious object.

 

shot                 rummaged                  closed                          glanced

9. The group laughed as they made their way through the haunted house, but none of them could doubt the sinister presence that seemed to be following them to the exit. All had inexplicable goosebumps on the length of their arms, and the sense that they were being watched.

menacing                    nearby                         affable             strange

10. Clara feigned interest in her brother’s sporting performance, but she’d much rather be in the library studying for her Latin test.

pretended                   exhibited                     had                  lost

Answers:

1. Storm
2. Fissure
3. Apprehension
4. Finale
5. Delivered
6. Doubtful
7. Ugly
8. Rummaged
9. Menacing
10. Pretended