"Sort of" means you are not 100% sure but you are leaning toward a positive answer. the other meaning is to mean "types of" something. Some examples: 1) Are you feeling good today? Sort of. <-- this give the idea that he is mostly good but there might be something that is bothering him. 2) I "sort of" want to know the answer to that question, but I am afraid of it might be. <-- again, sort of denotes some kind of (could also write "sort of" instead of "kind of") hesitation 3) How many "sorts of" different juices do you sell here? <-- Wanting to know the types of juices sold. 4) I'm all out of sorts! <-- this is just an idiomatic phrase to mean the person is overwhelmed and doesn't really know what to do. I hope this helps (not just sort of helped). :)

"Sort of" is an idiomatic expression and it's usage can be tough to explain because it can mean several things, and it's very vague in meaning. For example: Q: Is the weather nice outside? A: Sort of. (in this case, it's implying that the weather is a little nice out, but it doesn't describe how it's nice) Q: Do you know how to play the piano? A: Sort of. (which implies the person knows a little, but we have no idea how well, or how badly, the person plays) Q: Do you like pets? A: Sort of. (this means the person isn't completely adverse to pets, but we have no idea what kind of pet, etc) Lastly, in place of "sort of" you can say "kind of." For all intents and purposes, they both mirror each other in usage.