If We Give You One Definition for a Word, Can You Give Us Its Second Meaning?

By: Isadora Teich
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
If We Give You One Definition for a Word, Can You Give Us Its Second Meaning?
Image: drbimages / Allkindza / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

English is one of the hardest languages to learn if you did not grow up speaking it. In fact, even many native English speakers struggle with the correct pronunciations of words and the proper spellings and meanings of other words throughout their lives. 

Many experts believe that English has the largest vocabulary of any living language spoken today. While this is impossible to prove or disprove because of how complex languages are, English's unique roots certainly give it a staggering modern vocabulary. 

English has roots in both the Germanic and Romance languages of Europe. Many of its words come from the Latin and Greek vocabulary, and it shares ancestors with German, Spanish, and French. It is related to almost all of Europe's major languages, and easily adapts to and absorbs new words from other languages all the time. 

Unlike other languages, which follow rough rules or use accents to let you know how they are pronounced when it comes to English, you just have to know. After all, the words "naked" and "baked" don't rhyme. And you just have to know it with no indication at all. 

Put yourself to the test and see if you can guess the other meanings of tricky English words with this quiz! 

The word bark is related to trees and what else?
sounds
the sky
weather
running
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bark is a word with several meanings. Dogs bark and it can also be used as a synonym for yelling. Trees have bark. Also, peppermint bark is a popular kind of candy during the holiday season.

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Shoes can be blue, but if a person is blue, how are they feeling?
Sad
Rich
Lost
Brilliant
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Blue is a color between green and violet. It is commonly associated with the sky and the seas. If someone is feeling blue, they are feeling sad and depressed. In literature, the blue can also refer to the unknown.

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A bit is a small amount, but what else can it be?
The future tense of bait
The past tense of bite
An adjective
An adverb
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A bit of chocolate is a very small amount of chocolate, but you can also get bit by a dog. The bit is also short for "binary digit." This is the smallest unit of data in a computer.

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Musicians can jam, but what else is jam?
A mystery
A win
A fatal flaw
A food
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jam is a tasty spread often made of fruit. When musicians play instruments together in a loose way, it is also called jamming. You can also be in a jam, or a problematic situation.

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You can wear a check print, but it can also refer to what?
The bill
Scamming
Expensive things
Something confusing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can write a check to pay someone, but you can also ask for the check in restaurant after you finish a meal. You can also check something, which means to examine it, or put someone's king in check when you play chess.

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You can join a club, but club is also what part of speech?
Adverb
Pronoun
Verb
Adjective
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A club is an association or organization that you can join. A club can also be a weapon, and when you club someone you can hurt them. Also, when you go clubbing you go out to night clubs.

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Shake is a verb, but it also refers to something you do what with?
Draw
Drink
Play
Kill
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To shake is a verb that means to tremble or vibrate. It can also refer to the act of shaking itself, or mean to jerkily move an object. Shakes are also often used as the shortened form of "milkshakes," or you can get a cocktail "shaken."

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Pound is a unit of measurement, but what else is it?
A proper noun
A verb
A gerund
An adjective
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pounds are the common measurement for weight used in the United States only. Most of the rest of the world uses kilograms. It is also a monetary unit in the UK and a verb which means to strike or hit.

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It can be light outside, but light also means which of these?
Intelligent
Not heavy
Sleepy
Ugly
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Light has several meanings in English. It can refer to a state of non-darkness or a color that is not dark. It can also mean to illuminate or ignite something. It can also refer to a source of illumination, like christmas lights, lamps, or flashlights.

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You can be one of a kind, but what does it mean to be kind?
Be scared
Be quiet
Be nice
Be lost
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A kind can refer to a group of people or things that all share similar traits. It can also refer to the character or nature of someone or something. To be kind, however, means to have a good and helpful nature specifically.

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Horses can go in a stable, but what does this word also mean?
Cruel
Poor
Unlikely to change
Expensive
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A stable is a home for horses on a farm. However, stable can also refer to a person's mental state and numerous other aspects of life. As an adjective, stable means that something is steady and unlikely to change.

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You can fix something, but is something being fixed good or bad?
Always good
Always bad
Neither
It depends on the context
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can fix something that is broken, and after you do that, it will be fixed. However, if a competition of some kind is fixed, that means that it was an unfair competition with predetermined results.

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You can squash something, but what else can you do with a squash?
Play it
Eat it
Drink it
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Squash is a noun and a verb with multiple meanings. It means to crush, suppress, or squeeze someone or something. It also refers to a sweet British drink, a sport, or an edible gourd.

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You can eat a date, but what else can you do in regards to this word?
Check it
Do it
Go on it
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The current date is the day of the year it is right now. However, you can also date a person, and scientists often date objects to figure out how old they are. Dates are also a popular fruit. If something is dated, it is old-fashioned in an unflattering way.

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If someone is your charge, they are your responsibility, but which of these does the word also relate to?
Price
Illness
Trickery
Love
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A charge is the price asked for goods and services. It can also refer to a legal accusation of an offense. To charge is to rush forward in attack. It can also refer to the electrical energy stored in a battery, or the act of replenishing that energy.

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Berry cobbler is tasty, but what does a cobbler do?
Haul goods
Fix shoes
Take calls
Give massages
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A cobbler is a classic American dessert that involves baked fruit with a thick crust on top. A cobbler is also a person who professinally mends shoes for a living.

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Columns are decor, but what can you also do with them?
Read them
Eat them
Fight them
Sleep on them
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Columns refer to multiple things that have upright cylindrical shapes. These can be pillars, smoke, or fire. Columns also refer to vertical divisions of words on pages, like those found in newspapers.

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A clock can strike midnight, but what else can strike?
Employees
Lightning
Fear
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Strike has many uses in the English language. Lightning, inclement weather, or other disasters can strike. One person can also strike another, or hit them. People can be struck with fear. Also, when employees undertake an organized protest of their employer, it is called a strike.

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You can lash out, but what else is a lash?
A body part
A failure
An amount of money
A storm at sea
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To lash someone means to strike them or forcefully drive them to a particular state or condition. You can also lash something down, which means to tie it down. People also have eyelashes.

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Animals can have sex, but what does it mean to sex something up?
Give up on it
Make it more interesting
Throw it away
Fix it up
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sex refers to the biological makeup of a being, which has traditionally been split up into male and female based on their reproductive functions. Animals can also have sex, and informally to sex something up means to present it in a more attention-grabbing way.

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Mint is a distinct flavor, but it also means that something is what?
Gross
New
Useful
Foreign
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mint is an aromatic plant known for its fresh flavor. Gum and candies often have a minty flavor. The mint is also where money is coined. If an object is in a pristine or new condition, it can also be described as being in mint condition.

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You can read a novel, but if something is novel what is it like?
Bland
Secret
Unusual
None of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A novel is a fictional book-length work. The novel is also used to refer to the literary genre made up of novels. If a something is novel, it is new and unusual. This word comes from the Latin word "novus" which meant "new."

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Someone can be a doctor, but what does it mean to doctor a report?
Edit it
Throw it out
Copy it
Falsify it
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A doctor is a person who is qualified practice medicine, or a person who holds a doctorate degree in any academic field. To doctor pictures or documents, however, means to change their content in order to deceive others.

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Coach is a luxury brand, but it also means what in regards to sports?
To play
To teach and guide
To quit
To win
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A coach is a person who guides, trains, and/or teaches others in a specific subject. This is often related to sports, but does not have to be. To coach is the act of guiding, training, or teaching someone. It can also be to prompt or urge someone. Coach is also a luxury brand known for its bags.

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Someone can be a riot, but what does it mean if there is a riot outside?
A violent crowd has gathered
It's raining hard
The world is ending
It's beautiful out
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As a noun, riot can refer to a violent crowd disturbance, an uproar, or an outburst of emotions. It can also refer to someone or something that is very amusing. To riot is to go on a rampage.

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You can make a reservation at a restaurant, but if you have reservations about something, how do you feel about it?
In love
Unsure
Excited
Hateful
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you make reservations at a restaurant, you reserve your seats or table. However, when you have reservations about a person or thing, you are unsure about it. A reservation is also an area of land that the government has apportioned to Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians, often due to colonialist land grabs and unclear "treaties."

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Graves are in cemeteries, but if a situation is grave what is it like?
Optimistic
Serious
Fun
Terrifying
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Graves are where the dead are buried. The grave is also used as a term which alludes to death. Something grave can also be serious or of great importance. It can also refer to a person's demeanor if they are solemn, severe, or gloomy.

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Fall is a season, but what do you season?
Relationships
Food
Light
Cars
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The four seasons are Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. It can also refer to the time of year during which a specific thing occurs, such as football season is when football is played. When you season food, you add spices and herbs to it. If a person is seasoned, they are experienced.

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There is a sink in your kitchen, but when you sink something what are you doing?
Lifting it up
Causing it to fail
Speaking well of it
Burning it
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sink has many meanings. As a noun, it is commonly found in homes, kitchens, and bathrooms. As a verb, it means to become submerged, to disappear, to drop, to descend, to conceal, or to ignore. If someone is trying to sink a business, they are trying to cause it to fail on purpose.

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A pupil learns, but what else does a pupil do?
Make burgers
Fix shoes
Tell lies
Regulate light
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pupil is a synonym for student. The pupil is also the dark circular opening in the center of the iris of the eye. It changes in size to control how much light can reach the retina.

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Green is a color, but if someone is green, what are they like?
Inexperienced
Cruel
Unusual
Boring
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Green is a color between blue and yellow. It can also refer to grassy and lush spaces, or products, policies, and actions which do not harm the environment. If a person is green they are inexperienced, naive, or easily tricked.

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Animals can mate, but who is your mate?
Your boss
Your friend
Your kid
Your doctor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When animals mate, they produce offspring. Your mate can also be your romantic partner. In much of the English-speaking world, a person's mate can also be their friend.

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Mediums channel spirits, but what else can a channel refer to?
A fish
Drinking coffee
Royalty
A length of water
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Channel can refer to a length of water that joins two large bodies of water. It is also a band of frequencies used in radio and TV transmission. To channel means to transmit, transfer, or relay information or other things through someone or something else.

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Dawn is sunrise, but what else does it refer to?
Beginnings
Sicknesses
Abuse
Mystery
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dawn is the first appearance of light in the sky at sunrise. It can also refer to the beginning of a phenomenon or time period. As a verb, to dawn means to come into existence or become known or understood.

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Stars are in the sky, but who else is a star?
Plumbers
Babies
Celebrities
Doctors
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stars are luminous balls of gas in space that we can see in the night sky from the ground on earth. They can also refer to the white patches which can be found on the heads of horses and other animals. Celebrities are also called stars.

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