TACHS: Words with several meanings: let the sentence choose
Learn to pick the meaning of a word with several definitions by checking the word's job in the sentence and testing each meaning in place, whether the choices come from a dictionary entry or a most-nearly-means question.
A word has several real meanings. How do you know which one a sentence uses?
Short answer
Decide what job the word does in the sentence, then put each meaning in its place and read the sentence again. Keep the meaning that makes sense with the words around it, even if it isn't the first or most familiar one.
Know first: Nouns, verbs and adjectives, Reading a dictionary entry
Step 1 of 5
The sentence decides which meaning is right
Many common words have more than one meaning. A dictionary lists them all, but only one fits a given sentence. The order of the list doesn't decide it. The sentence does.
TACHS vocabulary questions often ask what a word most nearly means in a quoted phrase. The wrong choices are often real meanings of the same word that don't fit this sentence. The most familiar meaning is a frequent trap.
| Feature | How it helps | Its limit |
|---|---|---|
| Word-class label (noun, verb, adjective) | Narrows the search to meanings with the right job | Still leaves more than one meaning to test |
| Example sentence in the entry | Shows the meaning in use | It's a different sentence from yours |
| Order of meanings | It doesn't help | Meaning 1 is not more likely to be right |
| Nearby words in your sentence | Usually decide the answer | None, so always return to them |
Labels and examples narrow the options, and the words around the target settle it.
Step 2 of 5
Test every meaning in the sentence
A short, made-up entry
settle: verb. (1) to decide or end an argument; (2) to sink slowly and come to rest; (3) to make a home in a new place.
Worked example: Two sentences, two meanings
Which meaning of settle fits each sentence?
Sentence 1: A fine layer of dust began to settle on the empty shelves.
Sentence 2: The two captains settled the question of who would kick off with a coin toss.
- 1
Sentence 1
(1) Dust deciding an argument? No. (2) Dust sinking slowly and coming to rest? Yes. (3) Dust making a home? It stretches the idea; dust doesn't move in. Meaning 2.
- 2
Sentence 2
(1) The captains decided the question? Yes. (2) and (3) don't fit captains or a question. Meaning 1.
- 3
Notice what did the work
The nearby words did: dust and shelves in one sentence, question and coin toss in the other.
Answer
Sentence 1 uses meaning 2. Sentence 2 uses meaning 1.
Find the wrong step
A student answers: In “Her grandparents settled in Ohio after the war,” settled most nearly means (A) decided (B) sank (C) made a home (D) calmed down
- 1
Reads the sentence and notes that settled is an action.
- 2
Notes the words right after it: in Ohio.
- 3
Thinks of settle down, the meaning used most at home, and picks (D) calmed down without testing it in the sentence.
What went wrong
That's the most familiar meaning, but nothing in the sentence is about calming. The student never tested it in place.
The fix
Test each choice with in Ohio. Only one makes sense: (C) made a home.
Step 3 of 5
Choose the meaning that fits
A short, made-up entry
fair: adjective. (1) treating people equally; (2) light in color. noun. (3) an outdoor event with rides, games and contests.
Check yourself · Question 1
Using the entry, which meaning of fair fits “The baby's fair hair turned almost white in the summer sun”?
Answer: D
Fair describes hair, and turned almost white is about color. Meaning 2 fits.
Trap answer: Treating people equally
The most familiar meaning
- Why it looks right
- It's the meaning you use most, and it's listed first.
- Why it's wrong
- The first meaning in a list isn't more likely to be right. Hair can't be equal or unequal.
- The right answer
- Light in color, the meaning that fits hair and almost white.
Check yourself · Question 2
In “The coach will field questions from parents after practice,” field most nearly means
Answer: B
Field shows an action done to questions. Coaches answer questions, so answer or deal with fits.
Common mistake
I picked the meaning that matched the topic of the passage.
- Why it's tempting
- In a passage about sports, a sports meaning seems like a safe bet.
- Do this instead
- Match the sentence, not the topic. Put the meaning in place of the word and check that it works with the words right next to it.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- Decide the word's job in the sentence first: naming, describing or showing an action.
- Put each meaning in place of the word and keep the one that makes sense with the nearby words.
- The first-listed or most familiar meaning is often a trap.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
In your own words
In the practice question, what words near the target word told you which meaning fits?