If context is missing (paper is torn, parts of conversation are missed) then &quot;overloaded words&quot; can easily be misinterpreted. People have various techniques for correcting these communication errors: make an assumption based on one&#x27;s own knowledge of speaker, make an assumption based on one&#x27;s own knowledge of the topic or beliefs or reconfirm the meaning with the speaker. I am sure there are a lot more.<p>For non-native speakers overloaded words can be challenging to deal with. Overloaded words and close sounding words are also a common source of language games and art. All human languages have ambiguity at some level.