Grade 6 · Reading

6th grade Idioms and old sayings worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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Idioms and old sayings

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.
Ari reads: "The math quiz was a piece of cake." What does a piece of cake mean?
- a sweet treat
- very easy
- over quickly
- very hard
2.
Bo reads: "Kira felt under the weather and stayed home." What does under the weather mean?
- in a bad mood
- out in the rain
- a little sick
- full of energy
3.
Kira reads: "Before the test, Jun hit the books." What does hit the books mean?
- studied hard
- read for fun
- tapped on the books
- put the books away
4.
What does the adage "Practice makes perfect" mean, Jun?
- one try is enough to do it well
- practice is for people who are already perfect
- working with others makes a job easier
- doing something often makes you better at it
5.
What does the adage "Look before you leap" mean, Luz?
- practice a thing until it is perfect
- think before you act
- act fast before the chance is gone
- check the ground before a jump
6.
What does the adage "Many hands make light work" mean, Milo?
- a job goes faster when one person does it
- think before you start a job
- a job is easier when many people help
- hands feel lighter after work
7.
Is "break the ice" an idiom or an adage, Noah?
- An adage: an old saying with advice
- An idiom: a phrase with a special meaning
- An adage: a saying about winter
- Neither: it means to crack ice
8.
Is "spill the beans" an idiom or an adage, Ren?
- Neither: it means to drop food
- An adage: a saying about cooking
- An idiom: a phrase with a special meaning
- An adage: an old saying with advice
9.
On the fence. Intended meaning: ? Tala reads: "Ren was on the fence about joining the club." What is the intended meaning?
- Ren was worried about trouble
- Ren sat on a fence
- Ren had decided to join
- Ren could not decide
10.
Called it a day. Intended meaning: ? Zee reads: "Our talk was going nowhere, so we called it a day." What is the intended meaning?
- we stopped for now
- we kept going through the night
- we started over
- we named the day

6th grade Idioms and old sayings worksheet – printable — Print: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Idioms and old sayings. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can work out what an idiom means from the sentence around it.
I can say what an adage advises and match it to a situation.
I can tell an idiom from an adage, and fix an idiom used in the wrong place.

Words to know

idiom: A phrase whose meaning is different from its exact words, such as a piece of cake

adage: An old, well-known saying that gives advice, such as haste makes waste

literal meaning: What the exact words say

intended meaning: What the speaker really means

Common mistakes

When reading idioms and sayings, your child took the words at face value.

When reading idioms and sayings, your child gave the meaning of a different, similar phrase. Ask them to reread the exact words and the sentence around them.

When sorting idioms and adages, your child mixed them up. An idiom is a phrase with a special meaning; an adage is an old saying that gives advice or a general truth.

What to say

Ask: could the words really happen here, or do they stand for something?

Ask: does it give advice?

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with idioms and old sayings?

When reading idioms and sayings, your child took the words at face value.

How can I help my child with idioms and old sayings?

Ask: could the words really happen here, or do they stand for something?

Are these 6th grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.