Five exercise types
Complete the end of a proverb (with options, with a box of endings or with no help), match to the meaning, choose the meaning, choose the saying that fits a situation and explain it in a sentence.
Start over?
Teaching guide: practising proverbs and idioms
Proverbs and idioms are part of everyday English, and understanding them helps children read, listen and speak with a richer vocabulary. This free proverbs and idioms worksheet generator uses a collection written for English with a level for every saying: choose the exercise, proverbs, idioms or both, and the level, and get a new A4 worksheet with its answer key.
- For
- Elementary 5th, 6th · Middle & High 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th (ages 10-15)
- Subject
- Language & Literacy › Vocabulary
- Includes
- Student sheet and answer key
- Format
- A4, to print or save as PDF; new exercises every time
- Price
- Free, no sign-up
- Available in
- Catalan, Spanish, English
Student worksheet 
Answer key Three levels
The best-known proverbs and idioms for Grades 5 and 6, less transparent ones for Grades 7 and 8 and more literary ones for Grades 9 and 10 (still waters run deep, bite the bullet).
Real sayings
Only proverbs and idioms recorded in the standard dictionaries of proverbs and idioms, in their usual wording, never made up or changed.
No double answers
Sayings with close meanings (slow and steady wins the race and Rome wasn't built in a day) never appear together in one group or in one question.
Its own collection
Not a translation: English, Spanish and Catalan each have their own proverbs and idioms, with meanings written so that students understand them, in British spelling for English.
Answer key
The circled or written endings, the numbers of every pair, the circled answers and the meaning of every saying, in blue on separate pages.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Proverbs and Idioms Worksheets
What is the difference between a proverb and an idiom?
A proverb is a complete sentence that gives advice or a lesson (The early bird catches the worm). An idiom is a phrase with a figurative meaning that we use inside a sentence (have your head in the clouds, pull someone's leg).
Which grades are these worksheets for?
Grades 5 to 10. The starter level has the best-known proverbs and idioms, the intermediate level less transparent ones for Grades 7 and 8 and the advanced level more literary ones for Grades 9 and 10.
Can there be more than one right answer?
Not in the closed exercises: the endings, meanings and sayings that are not the answer come from other proverbs with a different meaning. When students explain a saying in their own words, the answer key gives the meaning and other correct explanations are fine.
Can I choose only proverbs or only idioms?
Yes. After choosing the exercise, choose Proverbs, Idioms or both. Completing the ending is for proverbs only, since they are complete sentences.
Can I mix them with other literacy exercises?
Yes. Add exercises from other generators to the same sheet, such as synonyms and antonyms or word families, and print them together. For figurative language in poems there is the poetic metre and literary devices generator.
How do I print only the answer key?
Press Print and choose Answer key (or Worksheet and answer key). For new sayings with the same settings, select the exercise and press “New”.
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