Welcome to
LEXICALSHIP
PUZZLE COLLECTION
by
25 puzzles. 75 expressions. Plenty of English you probably won’t find in your coursebook.
The One Word. Three Gaps. puzzles you may have seen on my social media – brought together in one place and taken quite a bit further.
Each puzzle starts with a simple challenge: find the single word that completes three very different sentences.
But finding the word is only the beginning.
SOLVE IT.
Find the one word that completes all three gaps.
EXPLORE IT.
Discover three less familiar expressions built around that word and work out what they mean.
GO DEEPER.
Explore their meanings, usage and register – and discover the stories behind the language. 
PUT IT TO WORK.
Use the expressions in questions designed to get them off the page and into your active vocabulary.
REMEMBER IT.
Regular retrieval challenges bring earlier language back before you’ve had a chance to forget it.
Still curious about English?
One Word. Three Gaps. is for people who have already reached a high level of English – but certainly haven’t finished discovering it.
ADVANCED ENGLISH LEARNERS
If you enjoy noticing the less obvious corners of English and adding new expressions to your repertoire, work through the puzzles at your own pace.
ENGLISH TEACHERS
Keep stretching your own English while exploring the kind of language that doesn’t always make it into coursebooks.
TEACHERS OF B2+/C1/C2 LEARNERS
Use the puzzles and follow-up material as ready-made lexical and speaking activities with your own learners.
And, very possibly, you’re all three.
One resource. Plenty of possibilities.
FOR YOURSELF
Crack the puzzle, explore the expressions, discover the stories behind them and see how many you can work into your own active vocabulary.
TEACHING ONLINE
Put a puzzle on screen and solve it together, explore the language and use the follow-up questions to get your learners talking.
TEACHING FACE TO FACE
Print the pages you need and use them as warmers, lexical extensions, discussion activities or something a little different at the end of a lesson.
Don’t take my word for it. Try one.
Here’s a sample, one complete One Word. Three Gaps. puzzle from the collection.
Can you crack the word first? Then follow it through to see exactly what you’ll find in every puzzle.
What do you get?
With 25 puzzles, you’ll explore 75 expressions and chunks in context.
The collection includes:
25 One Word. Three Gaps. puzzles
75 expressions and chunks
contextualised examples
meaning-discovery activities
clear explanations of meaning
useful information about usage and register
the stories behind the language
video lexical deep dives with Nicola
discussion and personalisation questions
regular retrieval activities to help bring earlier language back
a glossary/index so you can easily find expressions again
permission for an individual teacher to print/use activities with their own learners
Why One Word. Three Gaps.?
I’ve been creating my One Word. Three Gaps. puzzles every week for quite a while now.
I love finding three completely different-looking contexts that turn out to have one word in common – and, judging by the messages I get, I’m not the only one who enjoys trying to crack them.
But there’s a problem with social media: once a puzzle disappears down the feed, it’s surprisingly difficult to find again.
So I decided to bring some of my favourites together in one place.
And while I was at it, I thought I’d go quite a bit further.
Rather than simply giving you the puzzle and the answer, each one becomes a springboard into three expressions you may not know – or may recognise but never actually use.
You’ll explore what they mean, how they’re used, where they came from and, most importantly, have opportunities to put them to work.
Because recognising an expression is one thing.
Making it part of your English is another.
A few words from early testers. . .
“This kind of task is my guilty pleasure… I just love to play detective.”
“I’d totally buy it – for myself to enjoy and to use with my C1/C2 students.”
“I love the one with the meaning, history and a QR for your video explanation 😍”
“For curious English teachers and enthusiastic learners.”
ONE WORD. THREE GAPS.
Volume 1
25 puzzles
75 expressions and chunks
Digital PDF
Video lexical deep dives
Printable for use with your own learners
€25
To receive the Puzzle Book, fill in the form below, send it through and follow the steps.
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FAQs
Is this a book for learners or a teaching resource?
Both. You can work through the puzzles and lexical material yourself or use individual activities with advanced learners. You don’t have to use every part in the same way.
What level is it for?
The language is aimed primarily at advanced learners, roughly B2+ to C2. Some expressions and activities will be more challenging than others.
Do I need to watch the videos?
No. Everything you need is included in the written resource. The videos are an optional extra if you’d like to hear more about the language and the stories behind it.
Can I use it with my students?
Yes. Your purchase allows you, as an individual teacher, to display the material in your lessons and print/copy the relevant activity pages for your own students.
Can I print it?
Yes. The resource is supplied digitally, so you can use it on screen or print the pages you want.
I’ve already done some of these puzzles on social media. Is there anything new?
Absolutely. The original puzzle is only the starting point. Each one has been developed into a fuller lexical resource, with expressions to explore, meanings and usage, the stories behind the language, opportunities to use it and regular retrieval activities.
And, of course, all the puzzles are finally in one place.