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SAT Vocabulary — Familiar Words, Unfamiliar Senses 2 flashcards

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The digital SAT's Words in Context questions test words as they are used in a passage, and a common word can carry a less common sense there. Eighty more such words, each with its less common sense, three example sentences and the everyday sense to watch out for.

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Learn deck · part of Digital SAT · written against: Digital SAT (2024 onward). Updated 2026-10-10.

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  1. cast (v.) · KAST
    to portray someone or something as playing a certain part or having a certain character

    The article casts the flood as a turning point for the town.

    Early accounts cast the explorer as a hero; later historians were less kind.

    The mayor cast the new fee as a small price for cleaner streets.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: to throw, or to choose actors; here it means to portray in a certain way.
    Making Claims
  2. screen (v.) · SKREEN
    to check people or things for a disease, problem or quality through tests or examination; to filter out

    All newborns in the state are screened for several rare disorders.

    Researchers screened over two thousand plant compounds for signs of antiviral activity.

    The committee screens every application and rejects about half before interviews.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: a computer or TV display; here it means to test or filter.
    Evidence & Proof
  3. surface (v.) · SUR-fuhs
    of something that was hidden, to be revealed and become known

    New details about the plan surfaced during the hearing.

    Doubts about the map's age surfaced when chemists tested the ink.

    Old rivalries between the two towns surfaced again during the budget debate.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: the top or outer face of something, like a tabletop; here it means to emerge or become known.
    Clear & Unclear
  4. fashion (v.) · FASH-uhn
    to bring something into being by shaping or building it, particularly by hand or through skill

    The children fashioned a raft from branches and rope.

    Early farmers fashioned sickles from flint set in wooden handles.

    The committee fashioned a compromise that both sides could accept.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: a style of clothing; here it means to make or shape.
    Change & Growth
  5. prime (v.) · PRIGHM
    to get a person or thing set for a task or reaction; to make ready

    The coach's speech primed the team for a hard second half.

    Painters prime bare wood so that the paint sticks better.

    Earlier reports had primed the public to expect a harsh winter.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: first-rate, or a prime number; here it means to prepare.
    Help & Hinder
  6. square (v.) · SKWAIR
    to match or fit with something; to bring two things into line with each other

    Jo's claim that she was home all evening hardly squares with her soaked raincoat.

    The new measurements do not square with the accepted age of the rocks.

    Scholars have tried to square the poet's letters with her public essays.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: a shape with four equal sides and right angles; here it means to match or reconcile.
    Agreement & Conflict
  7. becoming (adj.) · bih-KUHM-ing
    right and proper for a particular person or situation; attractive on someone

    After winning the debate, Omar thanked his opponents with becoming grace.

    The historian notes that such boasting was hardly becoming in a young officer.

    That shade of green was especially becoming on Priya.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: turning into something; here it means suitable or flattering.
    Attitudes & Judgment
  8. count (v.) · KOWNT
    to carry weight or make a difference; to qualify or be treated as

    When the margin is razor-thin, each ballot counts.

    For the historian, everyday letters count as much as official records.

    Under the league's rules, a tie counts as half a win.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: to find the number of; here it means to matter or be considered.
    Amount & Degree
  9. agent (n.) · AY-juhnt
    something that causes an effect or change, such as a chemical or natural force

    Wind, water and ice are agents of erosion.

    Soap acts as a cleaning agent by breaking up grease.

    The historian sees the printing press as an agent of social change.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: a spy or someone's representative; here it means a cause of change.
    Cause & Effect
  10. window (n.) · WIN-doh
    a short period when something is possible; a brief opportunity

    Climbers have a narrow window of good weather to reach the summit.

    Clot-dissolving drugs help most within a short window after a clot causes a stroke.

    Launch windows for Mars missions open about every twenty-six months.

    Watch out: Everyday sense: an opening of glass in a wall; here it means a brief opportunity.
    Feasibility & Strength

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Words in ContextFamiliar Words, Unfamiliar Senses 1Familiar Words, Unfamiliar Senses 3Formulas & Facts to Know ColdPractice Questions

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About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

  • Senses, parts of speech and pronunciations checked against Merriam-Webster.com, The American Heritage Dictionary (5th edition, ahdictionary.com), Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, the Cambridge Dictionary and Longman; all definitions, notes and example sentences are original.

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