Figurative Language Bingo Cards With an Answer Key

You read an example, pupils find it and write which kind of figurative language it is.

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Figurative language list, 40 examples. Paste your own to replace it, or type to add to it.

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40 examples in the bag

Every example is called once, in random order.

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Next step Print a grammar word searchPick a pupil to read the next example

How it works

Figurative language bingo for grades 4 to 8: 40 short examples, five each of simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia, idiom and oxymoron. The list under the tool is the answer key.

Read the full guide

Write the letter to keep the square

Press Call the game, then Call the next one, and read the example. A pupil who has it writes the device's letter in the square: S, M, P, H, A, O, I, or X for oxymoron. The caller shows you the answer.

Check a winning card

A line counts only if every letter on it is right. Check each square against the key under the tool, where the 40 examples sit in their eight groups.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?

A simile compares with like or as: As brave as a lion. A metaphor says one thing is another: The classroom was a zoo. Both compare two unlike things.

Why is there no The wind whispered?

It is personification, but wind and whispered start with the same sound, so it is alliteration too. Every example here uses one device only, so a pupil's letter is either right or wrong.

What does X stand for?

Oxymoron. O is taken by onomatopoeia, so oxymoron gets X, as in Jumbo shrimp or Deafening silence.

All 40 examples

Simile (S): compares with like or as 5

  • As brave as a lion Simile: it compares a brave person to a lion, using as.
  • As quiet as a mouse Simile: it compares a quiet person to a mouse, using as.
  • As soft as a cloud Simile: it compares something soft to a cloud, using as.
  • My hands were like ice Simile: it compares cold hands to ice, using like.
  • She ran like the wind Simile: it compares her speed to the wind, using like.

Metaphor (M): says one thing is another 5

  • The classroom was a zoo Metaphor: the room was not really a zoo; it was loud and wild like one. No like or as.
  • Her voice was music Metaphor: her voice is called music because it sounds lovely.
  • Life is a roller coaster Metaphor: life has ups and downs, so it is called a roller coaster.
  • The snow was a blanket Metaphor: the snow is called a blanket because it covers the ground.
  • The stars were diamonds Metaphor: the stars sparkle, so they are called diamonds. No like or as.

Personification (P): a thing acts like a person 5

  • The flowers nodded their heads Personification: flowers sway, but only people nod their heads.
  • The leaves danced in the wind Personification: leaves cannot dance; people can.
  • The moon watched over us Personification: the moon has no eyes to watch with.
  • My alarm clock yelled at me Personification: a clock cannot yell; a person can.
  • The old stairs groaned Personification: stairs creak, but groaning is something a person does.

Hyperbole (H): a huge exaggeration 5

  • I could sleep for a year Hyperbole: nobody sleeps for a year. It means very tired.
  • I told you a million times Hyperbole: nobody has said anything a million times. It means very often.
  • My backpack weighs a ton Hyperbole: a ton is far more than any backpack. It means very heavy.
  • My ears froze off Hyperbole: the ears are still there. It means very cold.
  • The wait took forever Hyperbole: the wait ended, so it was not forever. It means very long.

Alliteration (A): the same first sound 5

  • Big bears bounce balls Alliteration: every word starts with the b sound.
  • Five fat frogs Alliteration: every word starts with the f sound.
  • Merry mice munch muffins Alliteration: every word starts with the m sound.
  • Seven slippery snakes Alliteration: every word starts with the s sound.
  • Tiny tigers take turns Alliteration: every word starts with the t sound.

Onomatopoeia (O): a word that sounds like its sound 5

  • Boom Onomatopoeia: the word sounds like thunder or a drum.
  • Buzz Onomatopoeia: the word sounds like a bee.
  • Sizzle Onomatopoeia: the word sounds like food frying in a pan.
  • Splash Onomatopoeia: the word sounds like something hitting water.
  • Tick-tock Onomatopoeia: the word sounds like a clock.

Idiom (I): means something other than its words 5

  • A piece of cake Idiom: it means very easy. There is no cake.
  • Break a leg Idiom: it means good luck, said before a show.
  • Hit the books Idiom: it means study hard. Nobody hits anything.
  • Spill the beans Idiom: it means tell a secret.
  • Under the weather Idiom: it means feeling a little sick.

Oxymoron (X): two opposite words together 5

  • Awfully good Oxymoron: awful and good are opposites side by side.
  • Deafening silence Oxymoron: silence makes no sound, so it cannot be deafening.
  • Jumbo shrimp Oxymoron: jumbo means very big, and a shrimp is small.
  • Open secret Oxymoron: a secret that everyone knows is not a secret.
  • Pretty ugly Oxymoron: pretty and ugly are opposites side by side.

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