Skip to content
LessonPrint

Match the Saying to Its Meaning is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on joining an idiom or adage to what it means, aligned to Common Core standard L.5.5. It prints 3 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 17 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Match the Saying to Its Meaning

L.5.5

NameDate

Write the letter of the meaning next to each one.

1.Write the letter of the meaning next to each saying.
  • Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
  • The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
  • Easy come, easy go.
  • the ball is in your court
  • A.What is gained without effort is easily lost.
  • B.You miss people more when they are away.
  • C.it is your turn to decide or act
  • D.The one who complains loudest gets attention.
2.Write the letter of the meaning next to each saying.
  • bite off more than you can chew
  • Every dog has its day.
  • Curiosity killed the cat.
  • Out of sight, out of mind.
  • A.Being too nosy can get you into trouble.
  • B.People forget what they no longer see.
  • C.take on more than you can manage
  • D.Everyone has a moment of success sometime.
3.Write the letter of the meaning next to each saying.
  • on thin ice
  • break the ice
  • hit the nail on the head
  • Slow and steady wins the race.
  • A.help people relax when they first meet
  • B.in a risky position
  • C.Patient, steady effort succeeds in the end.
  • D.say something exactly right

LessonPrint · L.5.5 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Match the Saying to Its Meaning

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. — B (You miss people more when they are away.) 2. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. — D (The one who complains loudest gets attention.) 3. Easy come, easy go. — A (What is gained without effort is easily lost.) 4. the ball is in your court — C (it is your turn to decide or act)
  2. 2.1. bite off more than you can chew — C (take on more than you can manage) 2. Every dog has its day. — D (Everyone has a moment of success sometime.) 3. Curiosity killed the cat. — A (Being too nosy can get you into trouble.) 4. Out of sight, out of mind. — B (People forget what they no longer see.)
  3. 3.1. on thin ice — B (in a risky position) 2. break the ice — A (help people relax when they first meet) 3. hit the nail on the head — D (say something exactly right) 4. Slow and steady wins the race. — C (Patient, steady effort succeeds in the end.)

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to L.5.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.