(1) middle age
(2) There's a big age gap between them (= a big difference in their ages).
(3) ways of calculating the age of the earth

(1) I've just bought a new house...
(2) The two had only just met...
(3) I'm just making the sauce for the cauliflower...

(1) a football/cricket/rugby pitch
(2) The rugby tour was a disaster both on and off the pitch.
(3) a frenetic pitch of activity

(1) Caption: Feather pillow: A rose pelican rests its head at the zoo in Wuppertal, Germany.
(2) A NEW SPECIES OF GENUS CONTRACAECUM ( ORINTOCAECUM ) FROM EUROPEAN WHITE pelican ( ASCARIDATA: ANISAKIDAE )
(3) An Anhinga — a pelican relative — stretches its wings to dry its feathers.

(1) the rinse cycle (= in a washing machine)
(2) I usually cycle home through the park.
(3) We went for a cycle ride on Sunday.

(1) Sue shares a house with three other students.
(2) There isn't an empty table. Would you mind sharing?
(3) We shared the pizza between the four of us.

(1) a museum of modern art
(2) a science museum
(3) For months Malcolm had wanted to visit the Parisian art museums.

(1) only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb...
(2) ...the guidance and discipline that can be provided only by a strong male...
(3) The lawyer is paid only if he wins...

(1) Jack showed off his latest squeeze at the weekend.
(2) She knew I wanted to try the boat out at the weekend.
(3) They arrived at the weekend and gave three concerts in the week.

(1) Are you doing anything over the weekend ?
(2) Have a good weekend!
(3) It happened on the weekend of 24 and 25 April.

(1) He looks like Father Christmas...
(2) Kathy is a great mate, we are like sisters...
(3) What was Bulgaria like?...

(1) Her estate was left to her daughter.
(2) She lives in a tower block on an estate in London.
(3) His estate was valued at $150,000.

(1) You do not need to dress up for dinner...
(2) I just love the fun of dressing up in another era's clothing...
(3) Mother loved to dress me up.

(1) That's absolutely right...
(2) Clocks never told the right time...
(3) Walking, done in the right way, is a form of aerobic exercise...

(1) The idea is to encourage people to get to know their neighbours.
(2) I have to get to the bottom of this mess.
(3) Was she ever going to get to the point?

(1) Sue screamed, not loudly, more in surprise than terror.
(2) The officials felt taken for granted and grumbled loudly.
(3) She sucked an ice cube into her mouth, and crunched it loudly.

(1) You never help me.
(2) He has never been abroad.
(3) ‘Would you vote for him? ’ ‘never. ’

(1) a litter of puppies
(2) a Labrador puppy
(3) One Sunday he began trying to teach the two puppies to walk on a leash.

(1) It is about 76 kilos in weight .
(2) Bananas are sold by weight.
(3) In the wild, this fish can reach a weight of 5lbs.

(1) They live on a housing estate.
(2) Burglars broke into the housing estate yesterday, I heard that that family suffered heavy losses.
(3) Wen was shown around a new housing estate , to be a town, housing mainly coal miners.

(1) young babies
(2) a young country
(3) Caterpillars eat the young leaves of this plant.

(1) Are your products and services competitive? how about marketing?
(2) how about going shopping and seeing a show in London?
(3) "how about having a phone out here?"— 'Not likely!'

(1) Oh, Amy, I love you...
(2) We love each other. We want to spend our lives together.
(3) Our love for each other has been increased by what we've been through together.

(1) I'm older than her.
(2) There was more whisky in it than soda.
(3) He loves me more than you do.

(1) We looked out over the city from the heights of Edinburgh Castle.
(2) a fear of heights
(3) He doesn't have a head for heights (= is afraid of high places) .

(1) Don and Susie really loved each other (= he loved her and she loved him) .
(2) They looked at each other and laughed.
(3) We can wear each other's clothes.

(1) My brother is much heavier than me.
(2) She was struggling with a heavy suitcase.
(3) They had employed heavies to evict shop squatters from neighbouring sites.

(1) sometimes I go by car.
(2) He sometimes writes to me.
(3) I like to be on my own sometimes.

(1) I took the kids for a picnic in the park after school.
(2) The teacher kept the boys in detention after school.
(3) The boys didn't know what to do with themselves after school ended.

(1) the Royal family (= the children and close relations of the king or queen)
(2) I always think of you as one of the family .
(3) Some families have farmed in this area for hundreds of years.

(1) to crack a nut (= open it)
(2) a Brazil nut
(3) a hazelnut

(1) a member of staff/society/the family
(2) characteristics common to all members of the species
(3) party/union members

(1) I have just met the man I want to spend the rest of my life with...
(2) He's the kindest and sincerest person I've ever met...
(3) We could meet for a drink after work...

(1) ...a tiny fossil plant, only a few centimetres high.
(2) Surf lifesavers removed the 60 centimetre shark by hosing it with fresh water.
(3) Round each measurement to the nearest whole inch or centimetre.

(1) I'm usually home by 6 o'clock.
(2) We usually go by car.
(3) How long does the journey usually take?

(1) We grew up together.
(2) together they climbed the dark stairs.
(3) Get all the ingredients together before you start cooking.

(1) She sells her eggs for 12 yuan every kilogramme.
(2) Increase your total to the nearest full kilogramme.
(3) Take a kilogramme of rice for instance , it is valuated differently from people to people.

(1) the cross-channel ferry service
(2) We caught the ferry at Ostend.
(3) the Dover-Calais ferry crossing

(1) If it doesn't fit, you can always take it back.
(2) If he can't help, there's always John.
(3) As always, Polly was late for school.

(1) Can you skate?
(2) It was so cold that we were able to go skating on the lake.
(3) He skated an exciting programme at the American Championships.