用上下文线索猜词义在阅读试题中，考生可根据同义、反义关系来猜测陌生单词的意思。如题：Today’s teenagers seem to be more liberal in their ideas than their _______ grandparents. 选项：A. freethinking B. traditional C. old D. happy。因为traditional与liberal意思相反，所以该题应选B选项。
考生还可根据句意或段落文章的上、下文猜测词义。如题：Klebold and Harris felt _______ and wanted to revenge against those who disliked playing together with them or laughed at them. 选项：A. discouraged B. ashamed C. tired D. separated。根据下文的disliked playing together with them判断此处应为“感到孤立”，所以该题应选D选项。
用构词法猜词义
在阅读题中，遇到陌生单词，考生还可利用单词的前、后缀及合成词猜测词义。
英语中的前缀、后缀构词很多，且特定的“缀”往往表示特定的含义，把握住这一点，可起到“以不变应万变”的效果。如：He had been overworking and fell ill at last. overwork是由前缀over-加动词构成，over有“超过，过于”之意，overwork意思是“工作过多，劳累过度”。再如，overburden负担过重，overcharge要价过高，overdo做得过分。
英语中常用的前缀还有：mis—错误，如：misfortune不幸；mislead误导；mismanage处理不当；mid—中央，如：midnight半夜；midway半路；under—低于：underdone半生不熟的；underestimate低估；anti—反对，如：antibody抗体；anticyclone反气旋；antifreeze防冻剂。
考生还可利用合成词猜测词义。如：Family members take turns choosing a special activity for the evening, and everyone partakes in for fun. 根据短语构成及上下文意思看，此处partakes in相当于takes part in。再如break out-outbreak(名词“爆发”)，set out-outset(名词“起始”)，come in-in?鄄come(名词“收入”)。