Words with many meanings

affect

1. A person's age and background will always ________ their choice of friends. 2. The actress said that she was happiest performing in front of a large group of people, so first-night nerves didn't ______ her greatly. 3. This disease is often difficult to identify as it doesn't _____ everyone in the same way.

charge

1. Although access to its website is free, there's a small ______ if you want to receive the company's monthly newsletter. 2. Simon decided to take ______ of his own financial affairs at the relatively early age of seventeen. 3. Derek is in _______ of the office whilst his manager is on maternity leave.

gained

1. Although initially regarded only as a soap opera star, Emily has _______ the respect of the critics for her recent film roles. 2. She stayed in the job for five years and _______ a lot of valuable experience. 3. The former model is reported to have _______ a lot of weight since her retirement.

fair

1. Although not professionally trained, Damian can produce a technical drawing with a ______ degree of precision. 2. Cindy thought it really wasn't ____ of her boss to blame her for all the mistakes in the document. 3. In common with most her family, Glenda has very _____ skin.

drop

1. Could you _________ me at the next corner? I can walk from there. 2. The temperature tends to _______ sharply at night at this time of year. 3. I think we should ________ this subject before we have a big argument about it.

part

1. Eating good food should be a natural _____ of everyday life. 2. Sally was delighted to be offered a _____ in a new television drama. 3. William was keen to acknowledge the _____ played by his parents in establishing his successful business.

point

1. Erin was on the ______ of resigning from the club, when she was unexpectedly offered the role of Treasurer. 2. Michael had made a ________ of contacting all of his team mates personally to explain why he would be missing the important match. 3. As they had numbered seats, Diane couldn't see the ______ of getting to the concert before the performance was due to start.

close

1. Even though they don't work together any more, Michelle and Peter are still very _______ friends. 2. The scientists are ______ to reaching a breakthrough in their research programme. 3. Don't get too _____ to Anthea, she's got a really bad cold.

mean

1. His new job will ________ travelling all over the world. 2. It was ________ of him not to invite her. 3. The study involved 60 patients with a ________ age of 58.2 years.

fell

1. House prices _____ dramatically last year and they bought themselves a small flat near the town centre. 2. I always thought that love at first sight only happened in films but I _____ for Jill the moment I set eyes on her. 3. He _____ out with his father last month and hasn't spoken to him since.

missed

1. I ________ the beginning of the lecture because my bus was late. 2. I really ________ her when she went away. 3. He threw a book at me, but he ________ .

fine

1. I felt _______ when I got up this morning but I don't feel too good now. 2. There is a _______ line between perfectionism and obsession. 3. If you want to change our arrangement, that's _______ with me.

join

1. I invited them to ________ us for dinner. 2. A lot of people want to ________ the club, so there's a long waiting list. 3. Her parents are going to London next week and she will ________ them later.

lose

1. I need to ________ 5 pounds if I am to fit inside my suit. 2. It's an awful thing to ________ someone dear to you. 3. You might as well go for it - you've got nothing to ________ in any case.

wild

1. I'm not _______ about Barbara's new hairstyle - it makes her look too serious. 2. Steve didn't really know the answer to the last question in the quiz, so he just made a _______ guess and to his astonishment he got it right. 3. It is now an offence to pick ______ flowers in the countryside.

fall

1. If it is not tended regularly, any garden will soon ______ into a state of disrepair. 2. Successful television personalities generally ______ into one or two categories - either they are very lucky or they are very determined. 3. Sonia had to miss a lecture, but asked to borrow a friend's notes so that she didn't ______ too far *behind* with the work.

deal

1. If the college buys its computer equipment in bulk, it may get a special _______ from the supplier. 2. There has been a great ______ of money invested in research into global warming recently. 3. Some people complain about having to walk home in the dark, but for me it's no big ________.

easy

1. It is ________ to see why the presenter is so popular - he is such a lively person. 2. Although the local people speak with an accent, it is ____ enough for visitors to understand. 3. Tom's grandmother hadn't had an ____ life, but she'd always had a very positive attitude.

dull

1. It was rather a _____ day, with so much mist and low cloud that we hardly got to see any sunshine at all. 2. Thelma explained to the doctor that what she felt in her knee was more a kind of _______ ache than a sharp pain. 3. The film is really action-packed from start to finish with never a ______ moment.

switch

1. It's dangerous to ______ lanes on the motorway without indicating first. 2. Although we flicked the ______ a number of times, the machine would not work. 3. We will no longer be using the old accounting software after we _______ over to the new software next month.

stand

1. Olga told Mario to _______ still while she took his photographs. 2. When finished, the modernist sculpture will ______ in the town's main square. 3. I can't ______ the way Phil keeps interrupting me when I'm trying to explain something.

set

1. Paula's job each day was to _____ the table before each meal. 2. The dog ran across the new path before the concrete had had the chance to _______ properly. 3. If you want people to respect local traditions, you have to _____ an example.

mind

1. She's a woman without fear, with a ________ of her own, who says what she thinks. 2. He didn't ________ that other people thought him odd. 3. If you want to carry on with what you were doing, please don't ________ me.

widely

1. Students on that course are expected to read really ______, even beyond the immediate subject matter. 2. Supporters of slow food aim to promote the idea as _____ as possible. 3. It is _____ beleived that tourism has a positive effect on small island communities.

subject

1. The _____ of the painting is thought to be the artist's mother. 2. The festival organizers would like to point out that all times and dates are ______ to change. 3. Some politicians change the ______ rather than answer a question they find awkward.

odd

1. The _____ thing about him is that he never eats in the evening 2. His Spanish is excellent. He makes *the* _____ mistake—nothing too serious. 3. We've got a few _____ jobs to do this weekend.

bring

1. The aim of the campaign is to ______ *an end to* poverty in our inner cities. 2. The purpose of using old films in the classroom is to _________ history *alive* for the students. 3. When they visit us they always _________ their dog with them..

rare

1. The bird is so ______ that it appears on the endangered list in many countries. 2. Sadly, restaurants that source only local products are all too ______ these days. 3. Pam took advantage of a ______ opportunity to meet the elusive leader of the political movement.

pick

1. The casting director has an excellent eye for talent and generally manages to _______ young actors who go on to perform very well in the show. 2. Brian was in a really bad mood, ready to ______ a fight with anyone who disagreed with him. 3. Don't ______ your nose!

way

1. The chef complained that everyone was getting in his ________ and ordered them to leave. 2. Ron is determined to win this competition and I can't imagine him going out of his ________ to help anyone else. 3. I was surprised that none of the people I asked knew the _________ to the museum.

side

1. The factory was on the ________ of the valley 2. A river runs through the centre of the village with the church on one ________ and the market place on the other. 3. Julia was lying on her ________ on the bed.

steps

1. The headmaster must take urgent _____ to stop the bullying that is happening in this school. 2. I had to stop and rest before I climbed the final ______ of the lighthouse. 3. If you get lost in the woods, you should retrace your _____ and go back to camp.

call

1. The other children would often laugh at her, _____ her names and make her cry. 2. Alan Kelcher was very laid-back, and let his pupils _____ him by his first name. 3. Give her a ______ and ask her to go out with you.

strong

1. The president highlighted the _______ relationship that existed between the two countries, who, he said, were now "the closest of allies". 2. Relations with management have not improved and there's a _______ chance the union will call a strike next week. 3. I never liked kissing my grandmother, because I couldn't stand the ________ smell of her perfume.

slow

1. There has been a rather _____ response to the job advertisement that the company placed in the local newspaper. 2. Although double-checking the customer database was a rather ______ and time-consuming process, a number of serious mistakes were uncovered as a result. 3. Jamie was ______ to realise that he was fundamentally unsuited for the job he was doing, and so hadn't been thinking of alternatives.

shift

1. There has been a recent _______ towards domestic tourism with fewer people booking overseas holidays. 2. The government plans to ________ its attention away from punishing crime to crime prevention. 3. I'm changing to a different ________ next week so I'll be starting work much later.

fit

1. Tina was keen to buy a folding bicycle that would ______ inside the boot/trunk of her car. 2. Marius painted in a very individual style that didn't _______ easily into any traditional category. 3. Greg borrowed his brother's suit to wear at the wedding, but to be honest it didn't really ____ him very well.

light

1. We sat and talked by the ________ of the fire. 2. Could you *switch* the ________ *on*, please? 3. These discoveries may throw new ________ on the origins of man.

appearance

1. When interviewing applicants for jobs, you should be careful not to judge people by their ______ alone. 2. Dan's work has the _______ of something done in a great hurry, because he never goes back and checks what he's written. 3. Fina asked the child actor how old he'd been when he made his first ______ on television.

turn

1. When you see the hotel on your left, you should _____ right immediately afterwards. 2. I usually ______ to my mother for help or advice: she's a better listener than my father. 3. The last person I expected to _______ up at my wedding was my ex-boyfriend!