Similar Meanings (Nouns) – Practice Exercise With Answers

Nouns are the building blocks of language, serving as the names for people, places, things, and ideas. Within the vast landscape of nouns, there exist groups of words that share similar meanings, yet possess subtle nuances that distinguish them from one another.

Exercise 1 – Look at sentences 1 – 20. These can either be completed with a word from box A or a word with a similar meaning from box B. Identify both the words that could be used. In some cases, you will need to add an -s to one or both of the words when you put them into the sentence.

acclaim * accommodations * agenda * appeal * appointment * assistance * benefit * discipline * discount * drop * fallacy * fault * means * opposition * poll * proof * proximity * requirement * victory * work

advantage * closeness * decline * defect * employment * evidence * help * housing * meeting * method * misconception * order * petition * praise * prerequisite * resistance * reduction * schedule * survey * triumph

We have a very busy ___________ / ___________ today, so I suggest we start as soon as possible.
The college provides cheap ___________ / ___________ for its staff and students.
With regard to attendance and punctuality, we need to maintain ___________ / ___________ at all times.
Thank you for your kind ___________ / ___________: I couldn’t have done it without you.
There has been a sharp ___________ / ___________ in the number of people attending afternoon classes.
The early computer program had several ___________ / ___________ which need to be sorted out before it could be used.
There has been a lot of ___________ / ___________ to the new schedule: nobody likes the earlier starts and later finishes to the day.
There is no ___________ / ___________ to show that standards of living have improved.
Students holding a valid student card are eligible for a 10% ___________ / ___________ on book prices.
The bar is popular with our students because of its ___________ / ___________ to the college.
I can’t see you this afternoon because I have a / an ___________ / ___________ with my tutor.
The Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk received international ___________ / ___________ for his novel “Snow”.
At the height of its success, the studio provided ___________ / ___________ for over 3,000 people.
There are several ___________ / ___________ to working from home: you save on travel costs, for one thing.
If you want to do a Degree in Middle East Studies, a basic knowledge of Arabic is one of the main ___________ / ___________
The cheapest ___________ / ___________ of traveling around the U.S.A. is by Greyhound bus.
The ___________ / ___________ taken before the election did not reflect the final result.
His ruling in the case was a ___________ / ___________ for common sense and freedom of speech.
Many people believe that exercising makes you more hungry: this is in fact a ___________ / ___________.
The ___________ / ___________ was rejected by the arbitrating committee, despite the fact it had been signed by over 5,000 people.

Correct Answers:

agenda / schedule
accommodations / housing
discipline / order
assistance / help
drop / decline
faults / defects
opposition / resistance
proof / evidence
discount / reduction
proximity / closeness
appointment / meeting
acclaim / praise
work / employment
benefits / advantages
requirements / prerequisites
means (note that in this context, means is always used in the plural) / method
poll / survey
victory / triumph
fallacy / misconception
appeal / petition

Exercise 2 – Look at sentences 1 – 20. These can either be completed with a word from box A or a word with a similar meaning from box B. Identify both the words that could be used. In some cases, you will need to add an -s to one or both of the words when you put them into the sentence.

admission * alteration * characteristic * choice * code * component * cooperation * discussion * liability * magnitude * overview * priority * problem * protest * question * result * strategy * valid * winner * zenith

access * change * collaboration * complication * consequence * deliberation * demonstration * (short) description * element * feature * good * importance * option * peak * plan * precedence * query * responsibility * rule * victor

The ___________ / ___________ against the war spread to most parts of the city by midnight, withat least 50 arrests taking place.
The college ___________ / ___________ state(s) that students must attend at least 80% of their classes.
The college accepts no ___________ / ___________ for any damage to vehicles in the car park.
There are two ___________ / ___________ available to you: work hard on improving your mid-term grades, or consider changing your course.
Our latest prospectus provides a / an ___________ / ___________ of our courses and a brief history of the university.
Nobody understood the ___________ / ___________ of the results: it was assumed that everything would stay the same, whereas there were in fact profound changes.
Thanks to their ___________ / ___________ with several affiliated companies, they managed to create a virtual monopoly for their product.
I hope you have a ___________ / ___________ reason for missing so many of your classes.
The empire reached its ___________ / ___________ at the end of the nineteenth century.
If you have any ___________ / ___________ please ask a member of staff.
A purple rash and a persistent cough is one of the ___________ / ___________ of this disease.
We had hoped that everything would run smoothly, but unfortunately there have been several ___________ / ___________.
Before you start studying for the TOEFL, you should come up with a ___________ / ___________ that will help you to make the most of your study time.
Safety in the workplace is very important, and should take ___________ / ___________ over everything else.
Is it necessary to make any ___________ / ___________ to the plan, or should we keep it as it is?
In the battle of the sexes there can never be a true ___________ / ___________.
Fieldwork is a key ___________ / ___________ of this course.
After much ___________ / ___________, we decided to reject her offer.
Climate change could have disastrous ___________ / ___________ for farmers.
___________ / ___________ to the building after 6 p.m. is limited to staff and full-time students only.

Correct Answers:

protest / demonstration
code / rules
liability / responsibility
choices / options
overview / (short) description
magnitude / importance
cooperation / collaboration
valid / good
zenith / peak
questions / queries
characteristics / features (with illnesses, we can also say symptoms)
problems / complications
strategy / plan
priority / precedence
alterations / changes
winner / victor
component / element
discussion / deliberation
results / consequences
admission / access

Exercise 3 – Look at sentences 1 – 20. These can either be completed with a word from box A or a word with a similar meaning from box B. Identify both the words that could be used. In some cases, you will need to add an -s to one or both of the words when you put them into the sentence.

achievement * advent * amenity * argument * backing * category * charisma * disparity * display * ending * implication * invention * notion * number * part * proceeds * reflection * review * specialist * ultimatum

accomplishment * (personal) appeal * appearance * classification * component * concentration * difference * dispute * exhibit * expert * facility * final * demand * earnings * idea * innovation * sign * suggestion * support * termination * write-up

The book received a lot of good ___________ / ___________ in the press, and went on to become one of the year’s bestsellers.
Before the ___________ / ___________ of the home PC in the mid-80s, not many people knew how to type.
Unlike his much-loved father, the young leader lacked ___________ / ___________ and failed to become popular with his people.
The best English dictionaries are those for English-language learners: dictionaries in this ___________ / ___________ tend to give very clear definitions with good examples.
The board ordered the ___________ / ___________ of all research, with the result that it was another five years before a cure for the illness was found.
Technological ___________ / ___________ have changed the world in the last 20 years.
Large ___________ / ___________ of unskilled, unemployed people in certain parts of the country have resulted in a rise in crime and street violence.
I’m not an economics ___________ / ___________, but even I know that a drop in unemployment often leads to a rise in inflation.
With ___________ / ___________ from her teachers, she was able to start an international languages club at the school.
Our new Economics tutor has a strange ___________ / ___________ that all students are lazy and irresponsible.
You will find the problem easier to solve if you try breaking it down into its separate ___________ / ___________.
His promotion to director was a remarkable ___________ / ___________ for someone so young.
Our head of department gave us a / an ___________ / ___________ get down to some serious work or get out.
Despite several changes to the pay structure, there is still a ___________ / ___________ in pay between graduate trainees and non-graduates.
All ___________ / ___________ from the sale of part of the grounds will be re-invested in the college.
His irrational behavior eventually led to a serious ___________ / ___________ with his sponsors.
College ___________ / ___________ include a gym, a swimming pool, a canteen, and a garden where students can relax.
The museum’s ___________ / ___________ of prehistoric tools and artifacts is surprisingly popular with children.
I’m not happy with your ___________ / ___________ that my work is below standard.
A person’s choice of clothes is a / an ___________ / ___________ of his or her personality.