* Verb: To move forward, progress, or improve (e.g., "The army advanced on the enemy's position.")
* Noun: A forward movement, progress, or improvement (e.g., "The company made a significant advance in its research.")
* Adjective: Situated or occurring before the usual or expected time (e.g., "They received an advance payment.")
* Adverb: Before the usual or expected time (e.g., "The meeting has been moved to an advance date.")
To determine the part of speech, you need to look at the sentence and the word's function.