Verbal Reasoning › Word meaning
Word meaning
These puzzles are all about what words mean. Spotting words that match, words that clash, and words that quietly carry two meanings at once.
What these questions are
Word-meaning questions test your vocabulary, the bank of words you understand, and how carefully you read each one. There are a few different shapes they come in, but the thinking is always the same: work out what each word means, then find the one that fits.
On this page you will meet five kinds:
- Closest meaning — pick two words that mean the same.
- Opposite meaning — pick two words that mean the opposite.
- Odd ones out — find the words that do not belong with the rest.
- Two meanings — find a word that has more than one meaning.
- Word connections — choose words that make a sentence make sense.
How to crack them
- Read every word before you choose. The almost-right answer is often a trap.
- Watch the swap: a “same meaning” question loves to slip in a pair of opposites, and the other way round.
- If a word is new, think about where you have heard it before, or break it into parts you know.
- Rule out the clearly-wrong ones first, then decide between what is left.
A worked example
Here is a “closest meaning” question, taken slowly.
- Read both groups. Say what each word means to yourself: rapid is very fast, gentle is soft, heavy weighs a lot.
- Hunt for a match across the groups. Rapid means fast. In the second group, quick also means fast. That looks like a pair.
- Check the others do not fit better. Gentle and slow? Not the same. Heavy and loud? Not the same. And watch out: rapid and slow are opposites, which is not what this question wants.
Now your go
Five short sets, one for each kind. Nothing is timed or saved, so take your time and get it wrong as often as you like.
A little tip: keep an eye out for the wording of the question. You’ll see that we’ve bolded the key word in each box, and that word tells you exactly what to look for.
Closest meaning
Pick one word from each group that mean the same, then press Check.
Opposite meaning
Pick one word from each group that mean the opposite, then press Check.
Odd ones out
Three of these words go together. Tap the two that do not belong, then press Check.
Two meanings
Some words carry more than one meaning. Pick the word that fits both clues.
Word connections
Choose one word for each gap so the sentence makes sense. The sentence fills in as you pick.
That is word meaning
When you are ready, head back and try another topic. They each work the same friendly way.
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