Use the sentence to complete the activity.

Carlos was ambidextrous, so, when he sprained his right wrist, he was still able to throw accurately with this left hand.

In 3–5 sentences, define ambidextrous and explain how both the context clues and word parts can help you discover the word’s meaning.

1 answer

The word "ambidextrous" means being able to use both hands with equal skill or ease. In this sentence, we can determine the meaning of the word through context clues and word parts. The context clue indicates that Carlos sprained his right wrist but was still able to throw accurately with his left hand, suggesting that he is skilled with both hands. The word "ambi-" in ambidextrous is a Latin prefix meaning "both" or "on both sides." The word part "-dextrous" comes from the Latin word "dexter," which means "right" or "skillful." Therefore, putting the context clues and word parts together, we can understand that ambidextrous refers to someone who is skillful with both hands.