The Missing Key Answer Key

Students read a mystery story in which clues depend on the multiple meanings of certain words. After reading, they answer comprehension questions that require them to identify each meaning, explain how the wordplay influences the mystery, and interpret how vocabulary affects plot understanding. This activity builds inference skills, narrative comprehension, and flexible thinking about vocabulary. Students learn how authors purposely use ambiguous or polysemous words to create puzzles, humor, or deeper meaning. It also strengthens critical thinking and text analysis.

Curriculum Matched Skills

English Language Arts – Reading Comprehension: Narrative Text

English Language Arts – Interpreting Multiple-Meaning Words

English Language Arts – Critical Thinking and Inference

English Language Arts – Plot and Vocabulary Interaction

This worksheet is part of our Multiple Meaning Words Worksheets collection.