Shades of Meaning Worksheets

Print worksheet gives 6 questions: circle the word that fits the sentence, or the mildest or strongest of three.

A sample is on the sheet. What you type replaces it.

What you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to us.

Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.Shades of meaningDamp, wet, soaked. The strongest word is.wetsoakeddampThe soldiersin step down the main street.wanderedtiptoedmarchedGlad, happy, thrilled. The strongest word is.happythrilledgladThe castle was not just old. It was.newmodernancientUneasy, worried, frantic. The strongest word is.franticuneasyworriedBad or awful. The stronger word is.badawful
Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.Shades of meaningAnswer keyDamp, wet, soaked. The strongest word is.wetsoakeddampThe soldiersin step down the main street.wanderedtiptoedmarchedGlad, happy, thrilled. The strongest word is.happythrilledgladThe castle was not just old. It was.newmodernancientUneasy, worried, frantic. The strongest word is.franticuneasyworriedBad or awful. The stronger word is.badawfulsoakedmarchedthrilledancientfranticawful
More options

All 170 sentences

Peek, stare or glare 94

  • A puddle is small, but an ocean is ___. enormous, little, tiny
  • After the long hike, we ___ up the last hill with heavy legs. pranced, skipped, trudged
  • After the race, the thirsty runner ___ a whole bottle of water. gulped, sipped, tasted
  • Ana watched the hen lay the egg, so she ___ where it came from. guessed, knew, wondered
  • Angry about bedtime, my brother ___ up the stairs. stomped, strolled, tiptoed
  • The angry goose ___ at the dog that came too close. gazed, glared, peeked
  • The baby ___ at the spinning fan for five whole minutes. glanced, peeked, stared
  • The baby was not screaming. She was only ___. fussing, howling, shrieking
  • Ben had no proof, but he ___ the dog had eaten the pie. proved, saw, suspected
  • Ben only had a second, so he ___ at the clock and ran. gazed, glanced, stared
  • The big dog ___ the leash right out of my hand. nudged, tapped, yanked
  • The castle was not just old. It was ___. ancient, modern, new
  • The cat ___ silently toward the bird, one paw at a time. crept, dashed, stomped
  • The cocoa was hot, so I ___ it a little at a time. gulped, guzzled, sipped
Show all 170 sentences (156 more)

Peek, stare or glare, continued

  • Dad was not just annoyed about the scratch on the car. He was ___. bothered, calm, furious
  • The fans ___ so loudly that my ears rang. mumbled, shouted, whispered
  • The gate did not slam. It only ___ shut. banged, clicked, crashed
  • The girls ___ quietly behind their hands during the movie. giggled, howled, roared
  • Grandma has baked this bread a hundred times, so she ___ it will turn out well. doubts, knows, wonders
  • Grandpa ___ quietly to himself at the cartoon. chuckled, howled, roared
  • Half asleep, Grandpa ___ to the kitchen in his slippers. dashed, pranced, shuffled
  • He did not gobble the cookie. He only ___ the edge. devoured, nibbled, swallowed
  • He leaned close and ___ the secret in my ear. announced, whispered, yelled
  • He thought the keys might be in the car, but he was ___. certain, positive, unsure
  • He was locked out in the rain, so he ___ on the door with both fists. patted, pounded, tapped
  • He was not just happy about the puppy. He was ___. content, overjoyed, pleased
  • The hungry wolves ___ every scrap in seconds. devoured, nibbled, tasted
  • I ___ I locked the door, but I had better go back and check. know, swear, think
  • "I ___ it will be sunny for the picnic," said Dad, crossing his fingers. hope, know, promise
  • I ___ my friend with my elbow so he would look up. nudged, shoved, slammed
  • I ___ my keys lightly onto the table. hurled, slammed, tossed
  • I ___ the sleeping cat softly on the head. banged, patted, pounded
  • I am not sure who left the gate open, but I ___ it was the wind. know, promise, suspect
  • I could not understand him because he ___ into his scarf. announced, mumbled, shouted
  • I covered my eyes but ___ through my fingers at the cake. glared, peeked, scowled
  • I did not stare at the painting. I only ___ at it as I walked by. gazed, glanced, glared
  • I was not furious. I was only a little ___. annoyed, enraged, raging
  • I was not just hungry at noon. I was ___. full, satisfied, starving
  • I was not just tired after the swim meet. I was ___ and could not lift my arms. drowsy, exhausted, rested
  • In the last ten yards, he ___ as fast as he could to the finish line. jogged, sprinted, strolled
  • It is not polite to ___ at people for a long time. glance, peek, stare
  • The joke was not just funny. It was ___. amusing, dull, hilarious
  • The joke was so funny that Dad ___ with laughter until he cried. chuckled, roared, smiled
  • The kitten was not just small. It was ___ enough to sit in a teacup. large, medium, tiny
  • The lake was not just cold. It was ___. chilly, cool, freezing
  • Late for the bus, Ana ___ down the sidewalk. dashed, strolled, wandered
  • Lena opened the door a crack and ___ into the dark room. glared, peeked, scowled
  • Leo could not guess what was in the wrapped box. All day he ___ about it. forgot, knew, wondered
  • The library was silent, so Mia ___ her question. shouted, whispered, yelled
  • The lost puppy ___ from yard to yard with no plan. marched, tiptoed, wandered
  • Mia had no idea how many beans were in the jar, so she ___. guessed, knew, remembered
  • Mom ___ at the muddy footprints and crossed her arms. gazed, peeked, scowled
  • The mountain was not just big. It was ___. gigantic, large, medium
  • The mouse ___ a tiny corner of the cracker. devoured, gobbled, nibbled
  • The noise was not just loud. It was ___, and we covered our ears. deafening, quiet, soft
  • Our team has lost every game, so a win on Friday is ___. certain, definite, unlikely
  • The path looked wrong, and I began to ___ that we were lost. forget, hope, suspect
  • The pizza was not just good. It was ___. delicious, fine, okay
  • Please ___ me that pillow, but do it softly. fling, hurl, toss
  • The pony ___ around the ring with quick, springy steps. pranced, shuffled, trudged
  • The principal ___ the winner over the loudspeaker. announced, mumbled, whispered
  • The puppy ___ softly at the door, asking to come in. howled, wailed, whimpered
  • The puppy was not just dirty after the mud puddle. It was ___. dusty, filthy, spotless
  • The rabbit ___ on a carrot top, one small bite at a time. gobbled, gulped, nibbled
  • The race car ___ past us in a blur. crawled, strolled, zoomed
  • The rain was not a downpour. It was only a ___. drizzle, flood, storm
  • The rooster ___ around the yard as if he owned it. strutted, tiptoed, trudged
  • The runner saved her energy and ___ slowly for the first mile. dashed, jogged, sprinted
  • Sam was starving, so he ___ the sandwich in three bites. gobbled, nibbled, tasted
  • The sand was not just warm. It was ___, and we hopped all the way to the water. cool, lukewarm, scorching
  • She ___ gently on the window so she would not scare the bird. banged, pounded, tapped
  • She ___ the beanbag gently to her little brother. flung, hurled, tossed
  • She read the sign herself, so she was ___ the pool was closed. certain, doubtful, unsure
  • She was not just scared of the thunder. She was ___. nervous, terrified, uneasy
  • She was not sobbing. She was only ___ a little. bawling, sniffling, wailing
  • The snail ___ across the leaf all morning. crawled, dashed, zoomed
  • So the baby would not wake, I ___ past the crib. marched, stomped, tiptoed
  • The soldiers ___ in step down the main street. marched, tiptoed, wandered
  • The soup was not hot anymore. It was only ___. boiling, lukewarm, scalding
  • The sun rises every single morning. It will ___ rise tomorrow. definitely, maybe, possibly
  • The sun was in my eyes, so I ___ at the ball with my eyes half shut. gazed, glared, squinted
  • The sunset was not just pretty. It was ___. gorgeous, nice, plain
  • The swan ___ smoothly across the still pond. glided, splashed, stomped
  • The test was not just hard. It felt ___. impossible, simple, tricky
  • The toddler dropped his ice cream and ___ loudly enough for the whole park to hear. sniffled, wailed, whimpered
  • The towel was not just damp. It was ___. dry, moist, soaked
  • We did not sprint. We only ___ around the track. dashed, jogged, raced
  • We lay on the grass and ___ up at the stars for an hour. gazed, glanced, glared
  • When she saw the spider, Aunt Jo ___ and jumped onto a chair. mumbled, shrieked, whispered
  • The wind ___ the door shut with a bang. eased, nudged, slammed
  • The wind was not a gale. It was only a ___. blast, breeze, storm
  • With all his might, the pitcher ___ the ball toward home plate. hurled, lobbed, tossed
  • With nowhere to be, we ___ slowly along the beach. dashed, marched, strolled
  • Without slowing down, Dad ___ at the price tag. gazed, glanced, stared

Mildest or strongest word 76

  • Annoyed, angry, furious. The mildest word is ___. angry, annoyed, furious
  • Annoyed, angry, furious. The strongest word is ___. angry, annoyed, furious
  • Ask or beg. The stronger word is ___. ask, beg
  • Bad or awful. The stronger word is ___. awful, bad
  • Big, large, gigantic. The strongest word is ___. big, gigantic, large
  • Breeze, wind, gale. The mildest word is ___. breeze, gale, wind
  • Breeze, wind, gale. The strongest word is ___. breeze, gale, wind
  • Bright or blinding. The stronger word is ___. blinding, bright
  • Clean or spotless. The stronger word is ___. clean, spotless
  • Clever, smart, brilliant. The strongest word is ___. brilliant, clever, smart
  • Cool, cold, freezing. The mildest word is ___. cold, cool, freezing
  • Cool, cold, freezing. The strongest word is ___. cold, cool, freezing
  • Crack, break, shatter. The mildest word is ___. break, crack, shatter
  • Crack, break, shatter. The strongest word is ___. break, crack, shatter
  • Damp, wet, soaked. The mildest word is ___. damp, soaked, wet
  • Damp, wet, soaked. The strongest word is ___. damp, soaked, wet
  • Drizzle, rain, downpour. The mildest word is ___. downpour, drizzle, rain
  • Drizzle, rain, downpour. The strongest word is ___. downpour, drizzle, rain
  • Dusty, dirty, filthy. The strongest word is ___. dirty, dusty, filthy
  • Funny or hilarious. The stronger word is ___. funny, hilarious
  • Glad, happy, thrilled. The strongest word is ___. glad, happy, thrilled
  • Glow, shine, blaze. The mildest word is ___. blaze, glow, shine
  • Glow, shine, blaze. The strongest word is ___. blaze, glow, shine
  • Good, great, amazing. The mildest word is ___. amazing, good, great
  • Guessed, believed, knew. The least sure word is ___. believed, guessed, knew
  • Guessed, believed, knew. The surest word is ___. believed, guessed, knew
  • Hop, jump, leap. The mildest word is ___. hop, jump, leap
  • Hungry or starving. The stronger word is ___. hungry, starving
  • Large or gigantic. The stronger word is ___. gigantic, large
  • Like, love, adore. The mildest word is ___. adore, like, love
  • Like, love, adore. The strongest word is ___. adore, like, love
  • Maybe, probably, definitely. The least sure word is ___. definitely, maybe, probably
  • Maybe, probably, definitely. The surest word is ___. definitely, maybe, probably
  • Nervous, scared, terrified. The mildest word is ___. nervous, scared, terrified
  • Nervous, scared, terrified. The strongest word is ___. nervous, scared, terrified
  • Nibble, eat, devour. The mildest word is ___. devour, eat, nibble
  • Nibble, eat, devour. The strongest word is ___. devour, eat, nibble
  • Noisy, loud, deafening. The strongest word is ___. deafening, loud, noisy
  • Odd, strange, bizarre. The strongest word is ___. bizarre, odd, strange
  • Okay, tasty, delicious. The mildest word is ___. delicious, okay, tasty
  • Old or ancient. The stronger word is ___. ancient, old
  • Possible, likely, certain. The least sure word is ___. certain, likely, possible
  • Possible, likely, certain. The surest word is ___. certain, likely, possible
  • Pretty, beautiful, gorgeous. The mildest word is ___. beautiful, gorgeous, pretty
  • Pretty, beautiful, gorgeous. The strongest word is ___. beautiful, gorgeous, pretty
  • Pull or yank. The stronger word is ___. pull, yank
  • Push or shove. The stronger word is ___. push, shove
  • Quiet or silent. The stronger word is ___. quiet, silent
  • Sip, drink, gulp. The mildest word is ___. drink, gulp, sip
  • Sip, drink, gulp. The strongest word is ___. drink, gulp, sip
  • Sleepy, tired, exhausted. The strongest word is ___. exhausted, sleepy, tired
  • Small, little, tiny. The strongest word is ___. little, small, tiny
  • Sniffle, cry, sob. The mildest word is ___. cry, sniffle, sob
  • Sniffle, cry, sob. The strongest word is ___. cry, sniffle, sob
  • Some, many, countless. The word for the fewest is ___. countless, many, some
  • Some, many, countless. The word for the most is ___. countless, many, some
  • Sometimes, often, always. The word for the least often is ___. always, often, sometimes
  • Sometimes, often, always. The word for the most often is ___. always, often, sometimes
  • Surprised or astonished. The stronger word is ___. astonished, surprised
  • Tap, knock, pound. The mildest word is ___. knock, pound, tap
  • Tap, knock, pound. The strongest word is ___. knock, pound, tap
  • Toss, throw, hurl. The mildest word is ___. hurl, throw, toss
  • Toss, throw, hurl. The strongest word is ___. hurl, throw, toss
  • Tricky, hard, impossible. The strongest word is ___. hard, impossible, tricky
  • Uneasy, worried, frantic. The mildest word is ___. frantic, uneasy, worried
  • Uneasy, worried, frantic. The strongest word is ___. frantic, uneasy, worried
  • Unhappy, sad, miserable. The strongest word is ___. miserable, sad, unhappy
  • Unkind, mean, cruel. The strongest word is ___. cruel, mean, unkind
  • Walk, jog, sprint. The mildest word is ___. jog, sprint, walk
  • Walk, jog, sprint. The strongest word is ___. jog, sprint, walk
  • Warm, hot, scorching. The mildest word is ___. hot, scorching, warm
  • Warm, hot, scorching. The strongest word is ___. hot, scorching, warm
  • Whisper, talk, shout. The mildest word is ___. shout, talk, whisper
  • Whisper, talk, shout. The strongest word is ___. shout, talk, whisper
  • Wondered, suspected, knew. The least sure word is ___. knew, suspected, wondered
  • Wondered, suspected, knew. The surest word is ___. knew, suspected, wondered

How this list was compiled: Written for this page. Shades of meaning are the small differences among words that mean nearly the same thing. In the first set a sentence has a blank and three closely related words (peeked, glared, gazed), and a clue in the sentence, such as an angry goose or a sleeping baby, fits only one of them. In the second set two or three related words are listed and the task is to pick the mildest or the strongest (cool, cold, freezing), or the surest (guessed, believed, knew). A set is asked for its strongest word, its mildest word or both, only where the Wiktionary entries of the words, read 9 October 2026, put that word clearly at the end of the scale. The skill is standards L.1.5d (verbs differing in manner, adjectives differing in intensity), L.2.5b (closely related verbs and adjectives) and L.3.5c (states of mind and degrees of certainty) of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, published at thecorestandards.org and read the same day. No word on the sheets describes a person's body. No person, brand or character is named. Licence: own work

How it works

Shades of meaning are the small differences among words that mean nearly the same. Peek, stare and glare are all ways to look, but only one fits an angry goose. Each sheet mixes sentences to finish with words to rank.

Read the full guide

The word that fits

The mouse ___ a tiny corner of the cracker offers nibbled, gobbled and devoured. A tiny corner is a small bite, so the answer is nibbled. A clue in each sentence, such as silent, starving or with all his might, rules out the other two words.

Mildest or strongest

Cool, cold, freezing. The strongest word is ___. The answer is freezing, and in a sister question the mildest is cool. Some sets rank how sure a word is: guessed, believed, knew. Pick either kind alone under Set.

  • The standard's own example thin, slender, skinny, scrawny is left out: no word on these sheets describes a person's body.

Questions and answers

What are shades of meaning?

Small differences in strength or manner among related words. Toss, throw and hurl all send a ball through the air, but a toss is gentle and a hurl is hard.

What grade learns shades of meaning?

Kindergarten to grade 3 in the Common Core. Grade 1 (L.1.5d) names look, peek, glance, stare, glare, scowl; grade 2 (L.2.5b) toss, throw, hurl; grade 3 (L.3.5c) words for certainty such as knew, believed, suspected.

Do these work as shades of meaning worksheets for 3rd grade or 4th grade?

Yes. The sentences about certainty (suspected, guessed, knew) and the surest-word sets are the grade 3 skill, and they suit 4th and 5th grade as review. Past grade 3 the grade is our suggestion.

Is there a shades of meaning worksheet for 1st grade or kindergarten?

Pick Mildest or strongest word under Set: each question is two or three short words, such as hop, jump, leap, and one to circle. The kindergarten standard, L.K.5d, has children act the words out.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. The last page is the key, with the right choice circled under each sentence. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page under More options to print the sheet alone.

More tools

Show 6 more

Browse Handwriting