Mystery Meanings

This engaging figurative language worksheet helps students strengthen vocabulary development, contextual reasoning, and problem-solving skills by decoding riddles that describe common idioms. Students read clues and use logic to identify expressions such as break the ice or raining cats and dogs, learning how figurative meaning differs from literal wording.

Learning Goals

• Figurative Language Recognition – Students identify idioms based on descriptive clues rather than direct definitions.
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving – Learners apply reasoning and deduction to solve each riddle.
• Vocabulary Development – The activity expands knowledge of commonly used idiomatic expressions.
• Contextual Reasoning – Students analyze hints and implied meaning to arrive at accurate conclusions.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to support elementary and upper elementary ELA standards.
• Highly Engaging Format – Riddles motivate curiosity and active participation.
• Encourages Flexible Thinking – Promotes multiple strategies for interpreting language.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Ideal for literacy centers, independent practice, enrichment, or review.
• Low-Prep Printable – Ready to use in classroom and homeschool settings.

This printable worksheet gives students meaningful practice with idioms, logical deduction, and figurative interpretation. By uncovering “mystery meanings,” learners deepen their understanding of expressive language and sharpen critical thinking skills. Whether used in a classroom lesson or a homeschool environment, this activity supports vocabulary growth, reasoning, and confident interpretation of figurative speech.

This worksheet is part of our Idioms collection.