ACT: Multiple-Meaning Words: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 9

On the ACT Reading Test, you'll encounter questions that ask you to determine the meanings of common words in context. We've identified 200 high-frequency, multiple-meaning words of the sort that you'll see on the exam. As you practice this list, you'll have to rely on context clues in order to determine each word’s meaning in a particular sentence. Be careful! Several of a word's meanings might show up as answer choices — but only one answer will capture the meaning of the word in the context of the sentence.
13 words 188 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dim
    lacking in light; not bright or harsh
  2. observe
    watch attentively
  3. sanction
    official permission or approval
  4. serious
    of great consequence
  5. suffer
    undergo or be subjected to
  6. channel
    a deep and relatively narrow body of water
  7. lapse
    drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards
  8. pitch
    the high or low quality of a sound
  9. fresh
    recently made, produced, or harvested
  10. split
    separate into parts or portions
  11. sight
    the ability to see; the visual faculty
  12. compose
    form the substance of
  13. exposure
    the state of being exposed to harm
Created on Fri Jun 06 12:01:39 EDT 2025

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