What does messy mean?
Word: Messy
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Messy means dirty or untidy, with things lying all over the place. A messy job is one that makes you or a place dirty.
Synonyms: untidy, dirty
Antonyms: neat, tidy
How do you spell messy?
Syllables: mess - y
Tricky part: Messy keeps the double s of mess. Said quickly it sounds as if it has one s, so children often write mesy.
Watch out for: mesy, mesi
Memory tip: Two s's, like two odd socks left lying on the floor of a messy room.
Messy in a sentence
Example 1: My little sister gets messy every time she eats mango.
Example 2: Holi is a messy festival, so we wear our oldest clothes.
Example 3: Dad says my desk is too messy to find a pencil on.
Fun Fact
Mess first meant a serving of food. That old sense lives on in India, where the dining hall of a hostel is still called the mess.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which of the following words rhymes with the given word?
messy
a) fussy
b) dressy
c) bossy
d) mossy
Show answer
b) dressy. Dressy has the same short e as messy; the other three change the vowel to o or u.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) muddy
b) messey
c) dusty
d) sticky
Show answer
b) messey. Like muddy and dusty, the word ends in a plain -y; take out the e and it is right.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
After the art class our desks were messy, so we wiped them with a damp clouth and a spunge.
a) clouth and spunge
b) only spunge
c) only clouth
d) messy and spunge
Show answer
a) clouth and spunge. Cloth has no u, and sponge is spelt with an o after the p.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
symes 12345
a) 34125
b) 34152
c) 43152
d) 31452
Show answer
b) 34152. Start with m (3) and e (4), then the two s's (1 and 5), and finish with y (2).
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which activity is most likely to leave your hands messy?
a) reading a storybook in bed
b) counting stars at night
c) listening to quiet music
d) painting with your fingers
Show answer
d) painting with your fingers
2. Arjun's cupboard is messy. What should he do to sort it out?
a) paint the cupboard a new colour
b) push more clothes in at the back
c) fold his clothes and stack them
d) shut the door on it quickly
Show answer
c) fold his clothes and stack them
