What does ceiling mean?
Word: Ceiling
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Ceiling means the inside surface at the top of a room. It can also mean the highest limit allowed, such as a price ceiling.
Sounds like: sealing (closing something tightly, such as an envelope)
How do you spell ceiling?
Syllables: ceil - ing
Tricky part: After the c comes e and then i. Children who remember i before e often turn this pair round.
Watch out for: cieling, celing
Memory tip: This is one word where the old rhyme really works: i before e, except after c. The c comes first, so the e jumps ahead of the i.
Ceiling in a sentence
Example 1: The ceiling of the Sheesh Mahal at Amer Fort sparkles with thousands of tiny mirrors.
Example 2: The government set a price ceiling so that onions stayed affordable.
Example 3: A gecko clung to the ceiling just above the tube light.
Fun Fact
Michelangelo spent about four years painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, working high up on a wooden platform.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
ceilling
a) e
b) i
c) l
d) g
Show answer
c) l. No double l here: ceiling has one.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
ceil_n_
a) e, g
b) a, g
c) i, k
d) i, g
Show answer
d) i, g. The last part is the same ing that ends sing and ring.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
ceiling
a) beam
b) roof
c) floor
d) attic
Show answer
c) floor. You look up at the ceiling and stand on the floor.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
nicglie
a) selling
b) cycling
c) ceiling
d) sealing
Show answer
c) ceiling. Sealing and selling both need an s, and cycling needs a y, so none of them can be made from these letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The school set a ceiling of 30 pupils for each art class. What does this mean?
a) exactly 30 joined last year
b) at least 30 had to join
c) 30 seats were kept for teachers
d) no more than 30 could join
Show answer
d) no more than 30 could join
2. What would you most likely fix to a ceiling?
a) a letterbox
b) a skirting board
c) a fan
d) a doormat
Show answer
c) a fan
