Share Double Meanings: Ambiguous Sentence Activity
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I saw the man with the telescope.
Meaning 1: I used a telescope to see the man. Meaning 2: The man I saw had a telescope.
The chicken is ready to eat.
Meaning 1: The chicken is cooked and ready to be eaten. Meaning 2: The chicken is hungry and ready to eat food.
He fed her cat food.
Meaning 1: He fed cat food to her pet cat. Meaning 2: He fed her the type of food intended for cats.
The boy playfully threatened the girl with paint.
Meaning 1: The boy had paint and threatened the girl with it. Meaning 2: The girl had paint, and the boy threatened her.
They are flying planes.
Meaning 1: The people are piloting the planes. Meaning 2: The planes are flying in the air.
The coach told the players to watch their feet.
Meaning 1: Be careful of how they use their feet while playing. Meaning 2: Literally observe and look at their feet.
Visiting relatives can be boring.
Meaning 1: Going to visit relatives can be boring. Meaning 2: Having relatives visit you can be boring.
The dog chased the cat wearing a hat.
Meaning 1: The dog chased the cat, which was wearing a hat. Meaning 2: The dog, wearing a hat, chased the cat.
I found her duck adorable.
Meaning 1: I found her pet duck to be adorable. Meaning 2: I saw her duck under an object in an adorable way.
The teacher said she would fail him.
Meaning 1: The teacher said she would give him a failing grade. Meaning 2: The teacher said he would fail on his own (e.g., fail to achieve something).
The boy hit the man with the stick.
Meaning 1: The boy used the stick to hit the man. Meaning 2: The man had the stick, and the boy hit him.
John saw the lady with binoculars.
Meaning 1: John used binoculars to see the lady. Meaning 2: The lady John saw had binoculars.
The woman told the man about the problem while drinking coffee.
Meaning 1: The woman was drinking coffee while telling him. Meaning 2: The man was drinking coffee while she told him.
The thief chased the cop, but he got away.
Meaning 1: The cop got away from the thief. Meaning 2: The thief got away from the cop.
She gave the child a dirty look.
Meaning 1: She glared at the child angrily. Meaning 2: She gave the child a look that was physically dirty (covered in dirt).
The chef cooked the turkey in the oven.
Meaning 1: The chef placed the turkey in the oven and cooked it. Meaning 2: The chef himself was inside the oven while cooking (humorous interpretation).
