Many English words have multiple meanings. This means that the same word, with the same spelling and pronunciation may have more than one meaning. Sometimes the meanings may be very different. This can be confusing for people learning English. You may wonder,” How do I know what the meaning is?” The best way is rely on context, illustrations, or diagrams in the text. However, if you still are not sure of the meaning, look it up. A dictionary will tell you all the meanings of any word. This posting cannot discuss every word with multiple meanings. There are simply too many of them. In this posting, however, I talk about 25 common words with multiple meanings. These are word you may see and hear in your daily life. I show you parts of speech, definitions, and example sentences for each meaning of each word.The download at the end will give you additional practice understanding words with multiple meanings.
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Below is a list of common words with multiple meanings.
B
- bank
2. bark
3. bill
4. break
5. bug
C
6. charge
7. company
8. current
D-H
9. date
10. fair
11. fast
12. fly
13. hit
J-N
14. jam
15. left
16. mine
17. nail
P-R
18. patient
19. pool
20. pupil
21. run
S-T
22. season
23. set
24. take
25. turn
You now know many common English words with multiple meanings. Often you can guess the meaning of the word through context. If that is not helpful, however, don’t hesitate to look the word up. The download will give you additional practice understanding words with multiple meanings.
You can download the practice sheet NOW!
Idioms of the day
- no picnic–This means something is difficult and not pleasant. I’m glad I moved, but making all the preparations was no picnic.
- turn a blind eye to–This means to not notice a very obvious problem. Her husband comes home drunk every night, but she turns a blind eye to his problems. She insists that he’s not an alcoholic.
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать грубую лексику.
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать разговорную лексику.
имеют одинаковое значение
имеют тот же смысл
иметь то же значение
иметь такое же значение
имеют одинаковый смысл
имеют то же самое значение
имеют одинакового значения
имеют те же значения
имеют то же значение
имеют одно и то же значение
имеют один и тот же смысл
иметь одно и то же значение
имеет то же самое значение
Directions given at intersections and on the roads between intersections have the same meaning.
The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless whether they appear in singular or in plural.
Следующие определения имеют одинаковое значение независимо от того, указаны они в единственном или множественном числе.
All technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning.
Все технические и научные термины, используемые здесь, имеют тот же смысл.
These words have the same meaning.
Both nanokernel and picokernel have subsequently come to have the same meaning expressed by the term microkernel.
Оба наноядро и пикокернел (пикоядро) впоследствии стали иметь то же значение, которое выражено термином микроядро.
«Guest» shall have the same meaning as «Passenger» in this Contract.
Instead, these characters have the same meaning and pronunciation, but still look different.
The basis for this myth is that we assume words have the same meaning for everyone.
The terms of a treaty are presumed to have the same meaning in each authentic text.
Birthmarks on both the left and right foot have the same meaning.
Common terms are words that have the same meaning in traditional and simplified Chinese but are written with different characters.
Общие термины — это слова, которые имеют одинаковое значение в традиционном и упрощенном письме китайского языка, но пишутся с помощью разных символов.
For Russian language both have the same meaning.
Whatever the linguistic ties between Russia and Ukraine, the words we share no longer have the same meaning.
Какими бы тесными не были лингвистические связи между Россией и Украиной, одинаковые слова в наших языках больше не имеют одинаковое значение.
In this Agreement «instructions» and «orders» have the same meaning.
Though in the United States, naturism and nudism have the same meaning, in Britain there is a clear distinction.
Хотя в Соединенных Штатах, натуризма и нудизма имеют тот же смысл, в Великобритании существует четкое различие.
Both personal information and personal data have the same meaning in the context of this Privacy Notice.
Как Личная информация, так и Персональные данные имеют одинаковое значение в контексте настоящей Политики Конфиденциальности.
These parameters have the same meaning as for the CREATEWEBUSERSESSION command.
Эти параметры имеют тот же смысл, что и для команды CREATEWEBUSERSESSION.
In spite of appearances, both the Basque form Donostia and the Spanish form San Sebastián have the same meaning of Saint Sebastian.
Несмотря на видимое различие, и баскское название Доностия, и испанская форма Сан-Себастьян имеют одинаковое значение — Святой Себастьян.
The fromAddress and toAddress values have the same meaning as for the SendInstantMessage function.
Значения fromAddress и toAddress имеют тот же смысл, что в функции SendInstantMessage.
Yes, both words have the same meaning.
Результатов: 315. Точных совпадений: 315. Затраченное время: 141 мс
Documents
Корпоративные решения
Спряжение
Синонимы
Корректор
Справка и о нас
Индекс слова: 1-300, 301-600, 601-900
Индекс выражения: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200
Индекс фразы: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200
Except as otherwise stated, words and phrases defined in
the
Regulations have the same meaning in these recommendations for guidance.
Если нет указания об ином, слова и выражения, определяемые в Правилах, имеют то же значение и в настоящих руководящих рекомендациях.
Maritime zones»,»territorial sea»,»‘internal waters»,»archipelagic waters» and»historic waters» have the same meaning as in
the
Maritime Zones Act;
Термин<< морские зоны>>,<< территориальное море>>,<< внутренние воды>>,<< архипелажные воды>> и<< исторические воды>> имеют то же значение, что и в Законе
о морских зонах;
Capitalized terms that are not defined here will have the same meaning given to them in
the
SurveyMonkey Terms of Use.
Термины, которые пишутся с заглавной буквы и которые не описаны в рамках данного документа, имеют то же значение, что и в Условиях использования SurveyMonkey.
For example:
the
morphemic word/ ʔel/, in, is both a full word in/qewelʔel/, in
the
house,
Например: морфемное слово/ ʔel/ добавляется в это полное слово/ qewelʔel/» в домe», и в проклитику/ ʔel-
Regardless of language used or version,
Независимо от используемого языка или версии,
Although
the
words«HyжHo»[nuzhna] and«Haдo»[nada](need) are synonyms and have the same meaning, there is a difference between them.
Where Lwot,(i) and nPP’ have the same meaning as in paragraph 1. of Annex 3 and nwot,(i)
refers to
the
corresponding engine speed when
the
front of
the
vehicle passes
the
line PP.
а nwot,( i) указывает соответствующую частоту вращения двигателя в
тот
момент, когда передняя часть транспортного средства пересекает линию PP.
Section 3(4)(c):
The
terms»crimes against humanity»,»crimes
against international law» and»political offence»shall have the same meaning assigned to them under customary
international law in general and in international instruments to which Malta may be a party in particular.
Раздел 3( 4)( c): Термины<< преступления против
человечности>>,<< преступления против международного права>> и<< политическое правонарушение>> имеют тот же смысл, который вкладывается в них
в соответствии с международным обычным правом в целом и в международно-правовых документах, участником которых может быть Мальта, в частности.
contents of a descriptive-name column have the same meaning regardless of
the
type of data in
the
row,
while
the
contents of a generic-name column
have
different meanings depending on
the
type of data.
Содержимое в столбце с описательным именем имеет то же значение, независимо от типа данных в строке, тогда
как содержимое столбца с универсальным именем может
иметь
разное
значение
в зависимости от типа данных.
It is worth noting that
the
terms»execution», under
the
non-harmonized programming
processes and»implementation» under
the
harmonized programming processes have the same meaning. See figure 1 below for terminology
shift of execution and implementation.
Стоит отметить, что термины» исполнение» в рамках несогласованных процессов составления программ
и» осуществление» в рамках согласованных процессов составления программ имеют одинаковое значение см. диаграмму 1 ниже, где описываются изменения в
применении терминов» исполнение» и» осуществление.
Among other arguments against
the
enforcement of international instruments by national jurisdictions, one could also refer to
the
problem of interpretation of
the
rules,
but would lose their universality if
the
judges of each country interpreted them and applied them in their own way.
В числе других аргументов против применения международных документов в рамках национальной юрисдикции можно также назвать проблему толкования норм,
но которые теряют свой универсальный характер, если органы магистратуры каждой страны по-своему толкуют и применяют их.
Supreme Court ruled that
the
court of appeal
had
used too narrow a definition of
the
words»incitement to hatred of, or discrimination against, persons on account of their race» and»to give[…] expression to views offensive to a group of people because of their race»,
respectively, of
the
old Criminal Code.
Верховный суд постановил, что апелляционный суд использовал чрезмерно ограниченное толкование формулировок» разжигание ненависти или дискриминация в отношении лиц
по
признаку их расы» и» выражение[…] мнений, являющихся оскорблением той или иной группы лиц
по
признаку их расы»,- формулировок,
использованных в обвинительном акте и явно совпадающих по смыслу соответственно со статьями 137 d и
137 c прежнего Уголовного кодекса.
Russian-speaking learners very often confuse these 2 verbs-
they consider them having the same meaning because there is no a substantial difference in translation between these verbs in some languages.
Очень часто иностранцы, изучающие русский язык путают эти
2 глагола, считая их одинаковыми по смыслу, так как в некоторых языках мира между ними нет существенной разницы в переводе.
secretariat assumes that
the
term»first» communication,
referred to in decision 8/CP.1, has the same meaning as»initial» communication, referred to in Article 12.5.
Секретариат исходит из того, что термин» первое» сообщение,
упоминаемое в решении 8/ CP. 1, имеет то же значение, что и» первоначальное» сообщение, упоминаемое в статье 12. 5.
It is our understanding that
the
concept»legal capacity» has the same meaning in all language versions.
In response to some requests for clarification and some suggestions,
sponsor pointed out that»regional groups» had the same meaning as»regions» in
the
annex to resolution 33/138 of 19 December 1978.
В ответ на некоторые просьбы о разъяснениях и некоторые предложения автор указал
на то, что фраза» региональные группы» имеет то же значение, что и слово» районы» в приложении к резолюции 33/
138 от 19 декабря 1978 года.
Synonymy relates to the topic of semantics, which concerns the study of meaning in language. The term synonymy originates from the Greek words sún and onoma, which mean with and name.
Synonymy in semantics
Synonymy in semantics refers to a word with the same (or nearly the same) meaning as another word.
Let’s see if you’ve grasped the concept of synonymy by finding two synonymous words in these sentences:
- Today’s weather is awful.
- Today’s weather is terrible.
The first sentence uses awful to describe the weather and the second uses terrible. Although both sentences use different words, they have the same meaning: bad. In other words, awful and terrible are synonyms of bad.
Important note: Be careful of the slight differences between the synonyms. Not every synonymous word fits in all situations, eg small isn’t exactly the same as tiny. You have to consider some factors, including the context, the relationship between words, register, and regional variation, among others. Take a look at the ‘types of synonymy’ section for more details.
To test whether two words are synonyms (or synonymous), we can use a substitution method: if one word can be replaced by another without changing the meaning/sense of the sentence, the two words are synonyms. The opposite of synonymy is antonymy. Synonymy can be found across all parts of speech: in nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc.
A ≈ B
Synonym examples
Here are some examples of synonyms:
-
big-large
-
small — little
-
easy — effortless
-
difficult — hard
Let’s put the synonyms into a sentence and use the substitution method:
1a. You have a big house.
1b. You have a large house.
By substituting big with large, we can keep the sentence’s meaning (the description of the house) in a similar degree/sense as the original sentence.
2a. He had a difficult decision to make.
2b. He had a hard decision to make.
The same as before, the substitution of difficult with hard does not change the sentence’s meaning (the description of the decision).
Synonymy in literature
Synonymy is one of the literary devices in which a word is replaced with another word with a similar meaning, to avoid repetition.
Here are some examples of synonymy in literature:
If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time. It’s because he wants to stay inside.
— Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960.
Instead of repeating the word one kind, Lee chooses its synonym: alike, to relay a similar meaning to ‘very similar’. The same thing happens in the case of stayed shut up in the house and stay inside. Using synonymy, Lee enriches the prose by avoiding repetition while keeping the meaning similar in both cases.
For thee I watch, whilst thou dost wake elsewhere.
— William Shakespeare, Sonnet 61, 1609.
Wake is a synonym of watch. Here, wake means ‘to stay awake to watch or tend’ (Oxford English Dictionary). Notice the slightly richer sense of see in watch compared to wake, yet the two words carry a similar meaning. By adopting synonymy, Shakespeare enhances the quality of the words he uses.
I love your daughter fondly, dearly, disinterestedly, devotedly. If ever there were love in the world, I love her.
— Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859.
Fondly and devotedly are synonyms that describe ‘a way to show great love for somebody/something’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary). Using two different words with a similar meaning, Dickens describes how strong the character’s feelings are (how I love your daughter) without repeating the word.
Types of synonyms
Now that we’ve looked at the concept, let’s examine the two types of synonymy:
-
Absolute synonyms
-
Partial synonyms
Absolute synonyms
With absolute synonyms, the meaning and function of the synonymous words are exactly the same. If you have a pair of absolutely synonymous words, you can substitute the words in every possible context (semantic, grammatical, sociolinguistic, etc.) with its synonym. This condition is very rare because, usually, two words that refer to the same meaning/object can’t co-exist. An example of an absolute synonym is airport and aerodrome. The former is what we commonly use nowadays, whereas the latter is an old-fashioned word.
Partial synonyms
Partial synonyms, on the other hand, occur when words have very closely related meanings. The meanings are not exactly the same, only partially, but close enough to relay the same message. Partial synonyms can differ in their collocation, register, and regional/social variation.
Have a look at these examples of partial synonyms:
| 1. We have a big problem. | Although gigantic is synonymous with big, the word combination of gigantic problem (1c) doesn’t sound natural. This is what’s called a collocation (a pairing of words with a high level of frequency). |
| a. We have a large problem. | |
| b. We have a huge problem. | |
| c. We have a gigantic problem. |
| 2a. The tickets can only be bought online. | Generally, buy and purchase mean ‘to obtain something by paying money for it’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary). However, the two words differ in their register. Buy is considered a general term, whereas purchase is often used in a more formal context. |
| 2 B. The tickets can only be purchased online. |
| 3a. It’s been a very chilly autumn this year. |
Both autumn and fall mean ‘the season of the year between summer and winter.’ But, autumn is Commonly used in British English, while fall is used in American English. They differ in regional/social variety. |
| 3b. It’s been a very chilly fall this year. |
Synonymy and homonymy — what’s the difference?
Synonymous words are words that carry similar meanings (meaning 1 is similar to meaning 2 and meaning 3). Homonymous words (homonymy) are words that are pronounced the same or spelt the same (or both), but their meanings are dissimilar.
Important to note: Homonym is a broader term for homophone (words that sound the same but have different meanings) and homograph (words that are spelt the same but have different meanings).
Synonyms have similar meanings but homonyms have different meanings.
Synonymy and polysemy — what’s the difference?
When a set of different words carries a similar meaning it is called synonymy. When a single word has several meanings (word form 1 has meaning 1 and meaning 2), it is called polysemy.
Synonymy — similar meanings: wing — extension & section.
- They are building a new wing for the maternity department.
- They are building a new extension for the maternity department.
Even though the word wing is replaced with extension, we still get the same information about ‘a new section of the hospital is currently being constructed and it is for the maternity department’. The meaning of extension isn’t exactly the same as wing , but similar.
- My room is on the west wing.
- My room is on the west section (of the building).
The same explanation can also be found here. We still get the same information about where my room is: on the west side of the building.
Polysemy — multiple meanings: wing — animal parts for flying & a section of a building.
-
They are building a new wing for the maternity department.
The meaning of wing in this sentence refers to ‘a section of building’ and not ‘animal parts for flying’.
-
The bird’s wing is broken.
Here, the meaning of wing is about the ‘animal parts for flying’ and not ‘a section of a building’.
Synonymy vs. Polysemy
- In synonymy, you can substitute a word with its similar meaning and the sense/meaning of the sentence doesn’t change. A is similar to B .
- Synonyms are usually used as a means of avoiding word repetition. However, be careful of the slightly different meanings of synonymous words. Always be mindful of the context and valency of the sentence.
- Polysemy isn’t about word substitution. Because a single polysemic word has many meanings (A means B and C) , it can cause ambiguity. It is often used for wordplay or for creating “hidden” meanings.
Synonymy — Key takeaways
- Synonymy is a linguistic term for words with similar meanings.
- If you replace one word with its synonym, the meaning/sense of the sentence doesn’t change. You can test synonymy by using the substitution method.
- There are two types of synonymy: Absolute synonyms, when the meaning and function of the words is exactly the same, and partial synonyms, when the meaning and function of the words is only partially the same. This may depend on the collocation, register, and regional/social variety of the words.
- Synonymy features words with similar meanings, while homonymy has words with different meaning but have the same pronunciation or spelling or both.
- Synonymy involves words with similar meanings, while polysemy is words with multiple meanings did create wordplay.
I often google the meaning of a word; and in the Google definition of, say, a word x it says:- y,z. I google the definition of y, it says in the meaning:- x,z; and when I look for the meaning of the definition of ‘z’:- x,y.
This is the test of a good dictionary: a good dictionary will not give “word x is y,z» and «y = x,z”. A good dictionary will explain the word’s origin and use a sentence or more to explain the meaning and then give several examples, with context, to show the word in various uses and meanings. It is impossible to over-emphasise the importance of context in English: the same word in one context may be an insult, and in another the greatest praise.
There are, in fact, very, very few words in English that really have the same meaning in all contexts. The general guidance is “If the word or phrase is different, then the meaning, or at least the nuance, will be different.” For example, the words kingly, regal, and monarchical may all seem to mean “in the manner of a royal ruler”, but, when put in a sentence will create a different image in the mind.
This is one reason why English is so popular – it allows subtlety of meaning and ideas to be expressed more precisely or, when needed, less precisely.
Your example is good.
perplexed -> baffled -> bewildered
If I am perplexed – the image is of my being intelligent and thoughtful, but puzzled and at a loss to see a solution.
If I am baffled – the image is of my having no idea about a solution and am somewhat confused. The word is now a little old-fashioned, and so the nuance is that I am middle-class.
If I am bewildered – the image is of my being so confused by all that is happening that I am not able even to consider a solution.