Context Clues Worksheets for 4th and 5th Grade | Kidnapped Book - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to match each underlined word in the passage with its correct meaning from the list on the right.

We’ll look at each sentence where the word appears and think about what it means in context. Then we’ll pick the best matching letter.

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1. forenoon
Sentence: “in the forenoon of the second day...”
→ This is talking about time of day — before noon, so morning.
Match: I. morning

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2. midst
Sentence: “In the midst of the town...”
→ Means “in the middle of” something.
Match: G. middle

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3. descent
Sentence: “...coming to the top of a hill, I saw all the country fall away below me, down to the sea.” → He’s going *down* the hill.
“Descent” = going downward.
Match: H. going downward

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4. kin
Sentence: “...brought my country heart into my mouth.” Wait — actually, let’s check again. The word “kin” isn’t directly in that sentence? Let me re-read…

Actually, looking back — the word “kin” doesn’t appear in the text provided! But wait — maybe it’s implied? Or perhaps there’s a typo?

Wait — no, let’s double-check the original text:

> “O in the forenoon of the second day, coming to the top of a hill, I saw all the country fall away below me, down to the sea. In the midst of the town, upon a long ridge, the city of Edinburgh was smoking like a kiln. There was a flag upon the castle, and ships moving or lying anchored in the firth; both of which, for as far away as they were, I could distinguish clearly. Both brought my country heart into my mouth.”

Hmm — “kin” is not here. But in the matching list, #4 is “kin”. Maybe it’s a mistake? Or perhaps it’s referring to “country heart”? That might mean family or people you’re related to — “kin” means family or relatives.

But since “kin” isn’t in the text, maybe this is an error? Wait — let’s look at the next part:

> “Presently after, I came by a house where a shepherd lived. I got a rough direction for the neighborhood of Cramond. I worked my way to westward, till I came out upon the Glasgow road. And then, to my great pleasure and wonder, I beheld a regiment marching, every foot in time. An old red-faced general on a grey horse was at the one end, and at the other the company of Grenadiers. The pride of life seemed to mount into my brain at the sight of the red coats and the hearing of that merry music.”

Still no “kin”.

Wait — perhaps “kin” is meant to be matched based on common knowledge? “Kin” = family → but none of the options say “family”. Options are:

A. held in place
B. oven
C. tell the difference
D. saw
E. general
F. group of soldiers
G. middle
H. going downward
I. morning
J. body of water

None say “family”. Hmm.

Wait — maybe I misread. Let me check the original image description again.

Ah — perhaps “kin” is not in the text, but the worksheet expects us to know the word? Or maybe it’s a trick?

Alternatively — maybe “kin” is supposed to be matched with something else? Let’s skip and come back.

Actually — let’s look at #5: “anchored”

Sentence: “ships moving or lying anchored in the firth”

→ Anchored means held in place (by an anchor).
Match: A. held in place

#6: “firth”

Sentence: “lying anchored in the firth”

→ A firth is a Scottish word for an estuary or inlet — a body of water.
Match: J. body of water

#7: “distinguished”

Sentence: “I could distinguish clearly” → meaning I could tell them apart / see the difference.
Match: C. tell the difference

#8: “rough”

Sentence: “I got a rough direction” → not exact, approximate. But looking at options — none say “approximate”. Wait — option B is “oven”? No. Option D is “saw”? No.

Wait — “rough” can also mean coarse or not smooth — but in context, “rough direction” means vague or not precise. But none of the options fit that.

Wait — let’s check the options again:

A. held in place
B. oven
C. tell the difference
D. saw
E. general
F. group of soldiers
G. middle
H. going downward
I. morning
J. body of water

None seem to fit “rough” as in “vague”. Unless... maybe “rough” is being used differently?

Wait — perhaps “rough” refers to the terrain? But the sentence says “rough direction”.

This is confusing. Maybe I made a mistake earlier.

Let’s try #9: “beheld”

Sentence: “I beheld a regiment marching”

→ “Beheld” is past tense of “behold”, which means “saw”.
Match: D. saw

#10: “regiment”

Sentence: “I beheld a regiment marching”

→ A regiment is a military unit — a group of soldiers.
Match: F. group of soldiers

Now back to #4: “kin”

Since “kin” isn’t in the text, but it’s listed, perhaps it’s a mistake? Or maybe it’s referring to “country heart” — which could imply loyalty to one’s kin (family/people).

But none of the options match “family”. Unless... wait — option E is “general” — no. Option F is “group of soldiers” — no.

Perhaps “kin” is not supposed to be here? Or maybe I missed it.

Wait — let’s read the very first sentence again:

“Ruben Louis Stevenson’s ‘Kidnapped’ is a historical novel published in 1886. The book tells the story of David Balfour and his adventures in 18th century Scotland. The passage below is from Chapter II.”

Then the passage starts: “O in the forenoon...”

No “kin”.

Perhaps “kin” is a typo and should be “kind”? But “kind” isn’t there either.

Another idea: maybe “kin” is meant to be matched with “general” because “general” can mean “common” or “widespread”, but that doesn’t fit.

Or perhaps “kin” is not in the text, and we have to use context clues from elsewhere? But that doesn’t make sense.

Wait — let’s look at the matching list again. For #4, “kin”, the only possible match left is... let’s see what’s left.

We have assigned:

1. I
2. G
3. H
5. A
6. J
7. C
9. D
10. F

Left unassigned: B (oven), E (general)

And words left: 4 (kin), 8 (rough)

So for #8 “rough” — if we have to choose between B and E, neither fits well.

But “rough” could be associated with “oven”? Like a rough oven? No.

Perhaps “rough” means coarse, and “oven” is unrelated.

Wait — maybe “rough” is a distractor, and “kin” is supposed to be matched with something.

Another thought: in some contexts, “kin” can mean “type” or “sort”, but still not matching.

Perhaps there’s a mistake in the worksheet. But since we have to answer, let’s assume that “kin” is not in the text, and maybe it’s a error, but for the sake of completing, let’s see.

Wait — let’s check online or recall: in “Kidnapped”, is there a word “kin”? Probably not in this excerpt.

Perhaps “kin” is meant to be “kind”, but still.

Let’s look at #8 “rough” — in the sentence “I got a rough direction”, “rough” means not detailed, approximate. But none of the options say that.

Unless “rough” is being used as in “not smooth”, but still.

Perhaps “rough” matches with “oven” because ovens can be rough? No.

Another idea: maybe “rough” is a verb? But it’s used as an adjective.

Let’s consider that “rough” might be matched with “tell the difference”, but that’s already taken by “distinguished”.

Perhaps I made a mistake with “distinguished”.

“Distinguish” means to recognize or perceive the difference between things. So “tell the difference” is correct.

For “rough”, maybe it’s not in the options, but we have to choose from what’s left.

Left options: B (oven), E (general)

Left words: 4 (kin), 8 (rough)

Perhaps “kin” is matched with “general” because “general” can mean “common” or “public”, but “kin” is family.

This is not working.

Wait — let’s read the sentence for “rough” again: “I got a rough direction for the neighborhood of Cramond.”

“Rough” here means approximate or not precise. But none of the options fit.

Unless “rough” is meant to be “coarse”, and “oven” is for something else.

Perhaps “rough” is a typo and should be “route” or something, but it’s written as “rough”.

Another possibility: in some dialects, “rough” can mean “ordinary” or “common”, but still.

Let’s look at the answer choices again. Maybe “rough” matches with “body of water”? No.

Perhaps for #4 “kin”, it’s not in the text, but the word “country” is there, and “country” can imply kinship, so “kin” means family, but no option for that.

I think there might be an error in the worksheet, but since we have to complete it, let’s assign based on process of elimination.

Assigned so far:

1. I (morning)
2. G (middle)
3. H (going downward)
5. A (held in place)
6. J (body of water)
7. C (tell the difference)
9. D (saw)
10. F (group of soldiers)

Left: 4 (kin), 8 (rough)
Options left: B (oven), E (general)

Now, “regiment” is already matched with F, and “general” is a rank, so perhaps “kin” is not related.

Maybe “kin” is meant to be “kind”, and “kind” can mean type, but still.

Perhaps “rough” is matched with “oven” because in old times, ovens were rough? Unlikely.

Another idea: in the context, “rough direction” might mean a direction that is not smooth, but that doesn't help.

Let’s consider that “rough” might be a mistake, and it's supposed to be "route", but it's written as "rough".

Perhaps for #8, "rough" is not the word, but let's check the original text: "I got a rough direction" — yes, "rough".

I recall that in some contexts, "rough" can mean "not refined", but still.

Let’s look at the word "general" — in the text, there is "an old red-faced general", so "general" is a person, a military rank.

For "kin", if we must choose, perhaps it's not applicable, but since it's listed, maybe it's a trick.

Perhaps "kin" is matched with "group of soldiers", but that's for "regiment".

I think I need to accept that for #4 and #8, we have to guess from remaining options.

Let’s assign:

4. kin — perhaps E. general? But that doesn't make sense.

Or B. oven? No.

Another thought: in Scottish English, "kin" might have a different meaning, but I doubt it.

Perhaps "kin" is a typo for "kind", and "kind" can mean "type", but still not matching.

Let’s search our memory: in the novel "Kidnapped", is there a word "kin" in this chapter? Probably not.

Perhaps the word is "kind" in some versions, but in this text, it's "rough direction".

I think there might be an error, but for the sake of completing, let's assume that "rough" is matched with "oven" for no good reason, and "kin" with "general", but that's wrong.

Wait — let's read the sentence for "general": "An old red-faced general on a grey horse" — so "general" is a specific word in the text, but it's not underlined in the matching list. The matching list has "regiment" underlined, not "general".

In the matching list, #10 is "regiment", which is underlined, and we matched it with F.

"General" is not underlined, so it's not in the matching list as a word to define.

The words to define are: 1. forenoon, 2. midst, 3. descent, 4. kin, 5. anchored, 6. firth, 7. distinguished, 8. rough, 9. beheld, 10. regiment.

"Kin" and "rough" are problematic.

Perhaps "kin" is not in the text, but the word "country" is, and "country" can mean homeland, which is related to kin, but still.

Let’s consider that "kin" might be matched with "body of water", but that's for "firth".

I think I found a possibility: in some contexts, "kin" can mean "relation", but no option.

Perhaps for #8 "rough", it is meant to be "coarse", and "oven" is for "kiln", but "kiln" is not underlined.

In the text: "Edinburgh was smoking like a kiln" — "kiln" is a type of oven, so perhaps "rough" is not related.

Another idea: maybe "rough" is a verb, but it's used as an adjective.

Let’s look at the answer choices again. Perhaps "rough" matches with "tell the difference", but that's taken.

I recall that in some worksheets, "rough" can mean "not exact", but here the options don't have that.

Perhaps "rough" is matched with "held in place", but that's for "anchored".

I think I need to conclude that for #4 "kin", since it's not in the text, and for #8 "rough", we have to choose from B and E.

Let’s assign:

4. kin — E. general (even though it's weak)
8. rough — B. oven (also weak)

But that doesn't make sense.

Perhaps "kin" is a mistake, and it's supposed to be "kind", and "kind" can mean "type", but still.

Let’s think differently. In the context, "my country heart" might imply "kin" as in family or people, and "general" could be a stretch for "common people", but "general" is a military rank.

Perhaps "rough" is matched with "group of soldiers" because soldiers can be rough, but that's for "regiment".

I give up. Let’s use logic.

From the text, "rough direction" — "rough" means approximate, and none of the options say that, so perhaps it's not intended to be matched, but we have to.

Another possibility: "rough" might be matched with "going downward", but that's for "descent".

Let’s list all matches again with confidence:

1. forenoon - I. morning
2. midst - G. middle
3. descent - H. going downward
5. anchored - A. held in place
6. firth - J. body of water
7. distinguished - C. tell the difference
9. beheld - D. saw
10. regiment - F. group of soldiers

That leaves 4. kin and 8. rough, and options B. oven and E. general.

Now, in the text, there is "smoking like a kiln" — a kiln is a type of oven, so perhaps "rough" is not related, but "kin" might be related to "general" if we think of "general public", but "kin" is family.

Perhaps "kin" is matched with "oven" because in some cultures, kin gather around the oven, but that's silly.

I think there might be a typo in the worksheet, and "kin" should be "kiln", but "kiln" is not underlined.

In the text, "kiln" is used, but not underlined for matching.

The underlined words are given in the matching list, so "kin" is listed, so it must be in the text.

Let’s read the text very carefully:

"O in the forenoon of the second day, coming to the top of a hill, I saw all the country fall away below me, down to the sea. In the midst of the town, upon a long ridge, the city of Edinburgh was smoking like a kiln. There was a flag upon the castle, and ships moving or lying anchored in the firth; both of which, for as far away as they were, I could distinguish clearly. Both brought my country heart into my mouth."

"Presently after, I came by a house where a shepherd lived. I got a rough direction for the neighborhood of Cramond. I worked my way to westward, till I came out upon the Glasgow road. And then, to my great pleasure and wonder, I beheld a regiment marching, every foot in time. An old red-faced general on a grey horse was at the one end, and at the other the company of Grenadiers. The pride of life seemed to mount into my brain at the sight of the red coats and the hearing of that merry music."

No "kin" anywhere.

Perhaps "kin" is a mistake, and it's supposed to be "kind", but "kind" is not there.

Or perhaps "kin" is for "country", but "country" is not underlined.

I think for the purpose of this exercise, we'll have to skip or guess.

But let's notice that in the matching list, #4 is "kin", and in some contexts, "kin" can mean "relation", but no option.

Perhaps "kin" is matched with "group of soldiers", but that's for "regiment".

Another idea: in military terms, "kin" might not apply.

Let’s consider that "rough" might be matched with "oven" because a rough oven is possible, but it's weak.

Perhaps "rough" is a noun, but it's used as an adjective.

I recall that in some old texts, "rough" can mean "a preliminary version", but still.

Let’s look for synonyms.

Upon second thought, in the context of "rough direction", "rough" means not detailed, and perhaps "general" can mean "not specific", so "general" could work for "rough".

For example, "a general idea" means a broad, not detailed idea.

So "rough direction" could be synonymous with "general direction".

Yes! That makes sense.

So for #8 "rough", it can mean "general" in the sense of not specific.

So match: E. general

Then for #4 "kin", what is left? Only B. oven.

But "kin" doesn't mean oven.

Unless "kin" is a typo for "kiln", and "kiln" means oven.

In the text, "smoking like a kiln", and "kiln" is a type of oven.

So probably, "kin" is a typo, and it should be "kiln", but since it's written as "kin", and "kiln" is not underlined, but in the matching list, it's "kin", so perhaps it's a mistake, but for the sake of the worksheet, we'll assume that "kin" is meant to be "kiln", so match with B. oven.

Otherwise, it doesn't make sense.

So:

4. kin - B. oven (assuming typo for kiln)
8. rough - E. general (as in general direction)

This is the best we can do.

So final matches:

1. I
2. G
3. H
4. B
5. A
6. J
7. C
8. E
9. D
10. F

Let’s write it out.

Final Answer:
1. I
2. G
3. H
4. B
5. A
6. J
7. C
8. E
9. D
10. F