Press Shuffle for a new version of the same worksheet, untick Answer key for the student copy, and print with a name and date line at the top.
How words are picked
GlossaryKit splits your passage into sentences and words, ignoring case and possessive endings, so “Earth’s” and “earth” count as the same word. Words shorter than the minimum length are skipped, and about six hundred of the most frequent English words, along with their simple plural and past forms, are hidden. What remains is usually the subject vocabulary, the academic words and the names. A word that only ever appears with a capital letter in the middle of a sentence is shown in italics as a likely name, and you can hide those too.
Each candidate remembers the first sentence it appeared in. When you add it to the glossary, that sentence comes with it and the word is highlighted, so you can write a definition that matches the meaning used in the text rather than the first meaning in a dictionary.
Writing good glossary definitions
Keep each definition to one plain sentence, written for the reader of this document. Avoid using the term itself in its definition, and do not define a word with harder words. For learners, a definition plus the original example sentence works better than either alone. Use the worksheet to check understanding: matching tests the definitions, and fill in the blank tests the words in context.
Private by design
GlossaryKit has no accounts and no server-side storage. The passage you paste and the definitions you write stay in this browser and are saved in local storage on this device only.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a word missing from fill in the blank?
It needs an example sentence that contains the word. Words you typed in that are not in the passage only appear in matching.
Can I make different versions for each class?
Yes. Shuffle changes the order of the definitions, and each version has its own answer key.
How many words should a worksheet have?
Eight to fifteen is typical for one sitting. Make several smaller glossaries for longer units.
Is GlossaryKit free?
Yes. The glossary maker, exports and worksheets are free with no account.
Is my glossary saved?
Only in this browser on this device, so it is still there next time. Nothing is uploaded.