For: Year 5 and Year 6 | Exams: KS2 SATs grammar, punctuation and spelling paper, and 11+ English
Jump to: Level 1 – SATs core · Level 2 – SATs stretch · Level 3 – 11+ standard · Level 4 – 11+ selective
📌 Show key words and rules
| Word or rule | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | Words with the same or nearly the same meaning. | quick and rapid |
| Antonyms | Words with opposite meanings. | ancient and modern |
| Prefix | Letters added to the start of a word. Some prefixes, like un-, dis-, in-, im-, il- and ir-, mean ‘not’ and make an antonym. | unhappy, dislike, impolite, irregular |
| Shades of meaning | Synonyms can be weaker or stronger. Pick the word that fits best. | damp → wet → soaked |
| Precise word | The word that gives the clearest, most exact picture. | The baby giggled (not just laughed). |
| Context | The words and sentences around a word. They help you work out what the word means. | The arid land had not seen rain for months. |
| Multiple meanings | One word can have different meanings. Use the context to choose the right one. | a cricket bat / a bat flying at night |
| Odd one out | In a group of words, find the one whose meaning does not match the others. | glad, cheerful, joyful, gloomy |
| Analogy | Two pairs of words linked in the same way. | Hot is to cold as up is to down. |
| Idiom | A saying whose meaning is different from its separate words. | It’s raining cats and dogs (raining very hard). |
| Formal and informal | Formal words suit serious writing such as letters or notices. Informal words suit chatting with friends. | request (formal) / ask for (informal) |
| Connotation | The feeling a word gives you. It can be positive or negative even when the meaning is similar. | curious (positive) / nosy (negative) |
Level 1 – SATs core: simple synonyms, antonyms and words in context
Matches the quick one-mark vocabulary questions in the KS2 SATs grammar, punctuation and spelling paper.
✏️ WORKED EXAMPLE: Tick one word that is closest in meaning to the underlined word.
The enormous whale swam past the boat.
☐ tiny ☐ huge ☐ heavy ☐ fast
Step 1: enormous means very big.
Step 2: tiny is an antonym (opposite). heavy and fast could describe a whale, but they do not mean very big.
Step 3: check by swapping the word into the sentence: The huge whale swam past the boat. The meaning stays the same, so the synonym is huge
Common mistake: choosing a word that fits the topic (a whale is heavy) instead of a word that means the same as the underlined word.
Your turn
Q1.1 Tick one word that is a synonym of begin.
☐ finish ☐ start ☐ stop ☐ wait
Show answer
A synonym has the same or nearly the same meaning. To begin is to start.
Q1.2 Tick one word that is an antonym of generous.
☐ kind ☐ selfish ☐ rich ☐ helpful
Show answer
An antonym has the opposite meaning. A generous person shares; a selfish person does not: selfish
Q1.3 Circle the two words in this sentence that are synonyms.
The tiny kitten curled up in a small basket.
Show answer
Both words mean little: tiny and small
Q1.4 Circle the two words in this sentence that are antonyms.
Ayesha arrived early, but her brother was late.
Show answer
Early and late have opposite meanings: early and late
Q1.5 Read the sentence. Tick one meaning of the underlined word.
Ben was exhausted after the long cross-country run.
☐ very excited ☐ very tired ☐ very hungry ☐ very fast
Show answer
After a long run you would be worn out. Exhausted means very tired.
Q1.6 Write an antonym of the underlined word.
The water in the pool was shallow.
Show answer
Shallow water is not far to the bottom; the opposite is deep.
Q1.7 Tick one word that is a synonym of shout.
☐ whisper ☐ yell ☐ mutter ☐ sing
Show answer
Whisper and mutter mean speaking quietly, the opposite of shouting: yell
Q1.8 Tick one word that is an antonym of float.
☐ swim ☐ sink ☐ drift ☐ splash
Show answer
Floating means staying on the surface of water; the opposite is going down under it: sink
Q1.9 Read the sentence. What does the underlined word mean? Tick one.
The path through the forest was narrow, so we walked in single file.
☐ long ☐ not wide ☐ muddy ☐ steep
Show answer
The clue is single file: there was only room for one person at a time. Narrow means not wide.
Q1.10 Replace the underlined word with a synonym from the box.
glad angry scared bored
Mo was furious when his tower of blocks was knocked over.
Show answer
Furious means very cross: angry (Mo was angry when his tower of blocks was knocked over.)
Level 2 – SATs stretch: precise word choice, shades of meaning and prefix antonyms
Matches the harder SATs questions, where you choose the most precise word, compare the strength of synonyms and make antonyms with prefixes.
✏️ WORKED EXAMPLE: Put these words in order, from the least hot to the most hot.
hot lukewarm scorching warm
Step 1: all four words are about temperature, but they have different shades of meaning (different strengths).
Step 2: lukewarm means only slightly warm, and scorching means hot enough to burn.
Step 3: warm comes before hot, so the order is: lukewarm, warm, hot, scorching
Common mistake: thinking that synonyms are always swappable. A warm bath is pleasant; a scorching bath would hurt.
Your turn
Q2.1 Add a prefix to make an antonym of visible.
Show answer
The prefix in- (meaning not) makes the opposite: invisible
Q2.2 Add a prefix to make an antonym of honest.
Show answer
The prefix dis- makes the opposite: dishonest
Q2.3 Tick one word that is the antonym of legal.
☐ unlegal ☐ illegal ☐ dislegal ☐ inlegal
Show answer
When the prefix in- (meaning not) is added to a root word beginning with l, it becomes il-: illegal
Q2.4 Put these words in order, from the least cold to the most cold.
freezing cool cold
Show answer
Cool is only a little cold, and freezing is extremely cold: cool, cold, freezing
Q2.5 Tick the most precise verb to complete the sentence.
The thirsty dog ______ the water from its bowl.
☐ ate ☐ lapped ☐ chewed ☐ sniffed
Show answer
Dogs drink by flicking water up with their tongues. The precise verb is lapped.
Q2.6 Tick one word that shows that Grace was very frightened.
Grace was ______ when the lights suddenly went out.
☐ nervous ☐ uneasy ☐ terrified ☐ worried
Show answer
Nervous, uneasy and worried describe mild fear. The strongest word is terrified.
Q2.7 Rewrite the sentence so that it means the opposite, by adding a prefix to the underlined word.
The instructions were clear.
Show answer
The prefix un- means not: The instructions were unclear.
Q2.8 Explain why devoured is a better word choice than ate in this sentence.
The hungry children devoured the pizza.
Show answer
Devoured means ate quickly and greedily, so it shows the reader how hungry the children were. Ate just tells us they had the pizza.
Q2.9 Which one prefix makes antonyms of all three words?
patient possible perfect
Show answer
When the prefix in- is added to a root word beginning with p, it becomes im-: impatient, impossible, imperfect. The prefix is im-
Q2.10 Put these words in order, from the slowest way of moving to the fastest.
sprint stroll jog
Show answer
To stroll is to walk slowly, to jog is to run gently and to sprint is to run as fast as you can: stroll, jog, sprint
Level 3 – 11+ standard: vocabulary in context, odd one out and closest in meaning
Typical of grammar-school 11+ papers. Learn ambitious words, and use the whole sentence to decide between near-miss options.
✏️ WORKED EXAMPLE: Which word is the odd one out?
abundant plentiful scarce ample
Step 1: work out what each word means. abundant, plentiful and ample all mean there is enough or more than enough.
Step 2: scarce means there is very little of something.
Step 3: three words are synonyms and one is their antonym, so the odd one out is scarce
Common mistake: picking the word you know least. Define every word first, then look for the group of three that share a meaning.
Your turn
Q3.1 Tick one word that is closest in meaning to reluctant.
☐ unwilling ☐ eager ☐ unable ☐ curious
Show answer
A reluctant person does not want to do something. Eager is the antonym; unable means cannot, not will not: unwilling
Q3.2 Read the sentence. Tick one meaning of the underlined word.
The prisoners lived on a meagre diet of bread and water.
☐ healthy ☐ tasty ☐ barely enough ☐ unusual
Show answer
Bread and water is a very small amount of food. Meagre means barely enough (small in amount or poor in quality).
Q3.3 Tick one word that is an antonym of scarce.
☐ rare ☐ plentiful ☐ expensive ☐ hidden
Show answer
Scarce means in short supply. Rare is a synonym, not an antonym. The opposite is plentiful.
Q3.4 Which word is the odd one out?
cautious careful wary reckless
Show answer
Cautious, careful and wary all mean trying to avoid danger. Reckless means taking risks without thinking: reckless
Q3.5 Which word is the odd one out?
vivid bright vibrant dull
Show answer
Vivid, bright and vibrant describe strong, lively colours. Dull is the opposite: dull
Q3.6 Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
After weeks without rain, water became (abundant / scarce / vivid / cautious), and the villagers had to share what little they had.
Show answer
The clues are without rain and what little they had: scarce
Q3.7 Complete each gap with a word from the box. Use each word once at most.
abundant reluctant cautious scarce
Apples were ______ in Leila’s garden this year, so she gave bags of them to her neighbours. Her younger brother was ______ to share his sweets, and he hid them under his bed.
Show answer
She had so many apples she could give them away: abundant. Hiding his sweets shows he did not want to share: reluctant.
Q3.8 Read the sentence. Tick the meaning of the underlined word.
Kofi had a vivid dream about flying over the city.
☐ frightening ☐ clear and lifelike ☐ short ☐ boring
Show answer
A vivid dream is one that seems very real and detailed: clear and lifelike
Q3.9 Tick one word that is closest in meaning to fragile.
☐ heavy ☐ delicate ☐ ancient ☐ precious
Show answer
Something fragile breaks easily. Ancient and precious things are often fragile, but the words do not mean the same: delicate
Q3.10 One word in this sentence has been used wrongly. Find it and replace it with a word that makes sense.
Food was so abundant during the long winter that the family nearly starved.
Show answer
If the family nearly starved, there cannot have been plenty of food. Replace abundant with scarce (also accept short or in short supply).
Level 4 – 11+ selective: multiple meanings, idioms, formality, analogies and connotation
The style of selective independent-school papers. Use context to choose between meanings, and think about how a word makes the reader feel.
✏️ WORKED EXAMPLE: Complete the analogy. Tick one word.
Timid is to brave as scarce is to ______.
☐ rare ☐ plentiful ☐ empty ☐ tiny
Step 1: find the link in the first pair. Timid (shy and easily frightened) and brave are antonyms.
Step 2: the second pair must have the same link, so you need the antonym of scarce.
Step 3: rare is a synonym of scarce, and empty and tiny are not opposites of it. The answer is plentiful
Common mistake: choosing a word connected to scarce (rare) without checking that the link is the same as in the first pair.
Your turn
Q4.1 Read the sentence. Tick the meaning of the underlined word as it is used here.
The bark of the old oak tree was rough and cracked.
☐ the sound a dog makes
☐ the outer covering of a tree trunk
☐ to give an order sharply
Show answer
Bark has several meanings. The clues oak tree and rough and cracked show it means the outer covering of a tree trunk.
Q4.2 Tick one sentence in which light means not heavy.
☐ Please switch on the light.
☐ The suitcase was light enough for Tia to carry.
☐ Dad will light the candles on the cake.
☐ We set off as soon as it was light.
Show answer
In the other sentences light means a lamp, to set fire to, and not dark. Only a suitcase can be heavy or not heavy: The suitcase was light enough for Tia to carry.
Q4.3 What does the idiom mean? Tick one.
Hassan let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
☐ He set a pet free.
☐ He gave away a secret by mistake.
☐ He made a big mess.
☐ He told a lie.
Show answer
An idiom’s meaning is not the meaning of its separate words. To let the cat out of the bag means to give away a secret by mistake.
Q4.4 Mum said the spelling test would be a piece of cake. What did she mean? Tick one.
☐ tasty ☐ very easy ☐ very short ☐ unfair
Show answer
A piece of cake is an idiom meaning very easy.
Q4.5 Tick the most formal word to replace get in this notice.
Visitors must get a ticket at the entrance.
☐ grab ☐ obtain ☐ nab ☐ bag
Show answer
Grab, nab and bag are informal (slang) words for get. The formal synonym, suitable for a notice, is obtain.
Q4.6 Replace the informal underlined words with a single, more formal word.
The headteacher wants to find out what happened in the playground.
Show answer
A formal synonym for find out is needed. Accept discover, establish, determine or ascertain (investigate is also accepted).
Q4.7 Complete the analogy. Tick one word.
Author is to book as composer is to ______.
☐ piano ☐ music ☐ orchestra ☐ singer
Show answer
An author writes a book, so a composer writes music. A piano is an instrument, and an orchestra or a singer performs the music; they do not create it.
Q4.8 Complete the analogy. Tick one word.
Reluctant is to eager as cautious is to ______.
☐ careful ☐ reckless ☐ timid ☐ wary
Show answer
Reluctant and eager are antonyms. Careful and wary are synonyms of cautious; the antonym is reckless.
Q4.9 Both sentences say that Zainab does not like spending money. Explain how the underlined words make the reader feel differently about her.
Zainab is thrifty.
Zainab is stingy.
Show answer
Thrifty has a positive connotation: it suggests she is sensible and careful with money. Stingy has a negative connotation: it suggests she is mean and unwilling to share.
Q4.10 A writer wants readers to admire Maya. Tick one word to complete the sentence.
Maya walked onto the stage ______ and began her speech.
☐ arrogantly ☐ smugly ☐ confidently ☐ boastfully
Show answer
Arrogantly, smugly and boastfully all suggest she thinks too highly of herself, which makes readers dislike her. The only positive word is confidently.