Idioms in Figurative Language

Idioms are expressions whose meanings cannot be understood by looking at the individual words. Instead, readers must recognize the phrase as a whole to determine its figurative meaning.

Students encounter idioms frequently in reading, conversation, and everyday language. Learning how to interpret idioms helps readers understand tone, humor, and implied meaning in text.

Idioms are an important part of figurative language instruction and support reading comprehension across grade levels.

Understanding idioms helps students move beyond literal interpretations and develop stronger vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Idioms are taught alongside other forms of figurative language such as metaphors, similes, and personification.

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This page connects to our full collection of Idioms Worksheets, where you can find printable activities that help students practice identifying and interpreting idiomatic expressions.

Common Types of Idioms

Students learn to interpret many types of idiomatic expressions, including:

• Everyday idioms – commonly used phrases in conversation
• Action-based idioms – expressions describing actions or behaviors
• Emotion-related idioms – phrases that convey feelings
• Comparative idioms – expressions that make figurative comparisons

About Our Idioms Worksheets

Our idioms worksheets include sentences and short passages that ask students to identify idiomatic expressions and explain their meanings using context clues.

These worksheets are ideal for upper elementary and middle school students and support classroom instruction, guided practice, and independent learning.

Idioms are one of several important figurative language skills featured throughout our Figurative Language Worksheets section.

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Idioms Quiz

Choose the meaning of each idiom.

1. What does the idiom "break the ice" mean?
   To start a friendly conversation To crack frozen water To stop talking
2. If someone says "it's raining cats and dogs", what do they mean?
   It is raining very hard Animals are falling from the sky The rain has stopped
3. What does "spill the beans" mean?
   To reveal a secret To drop food To make a mess
4. If someone says "hit the books", what should you do?
   Study Throw books Read for fun
5. What does "under the weather" mean?
   Feeling sick Standing in the rain Watching the forecast

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What Are Idioms?

Idioms are phrases whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal meanings of the individual words (e.g., “break the ice,” “piece of cake”).

Interpreting Idioms in Context

Understanding idioms often depends on context clues and familiarity. Readers use surrounding text to infer the intended meaning.

Using Idioms in Writing

Writers use idioms to add color, tone, and natural language feel to writing, especially in descriptive or narrative contexts.