ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Word Sense Disambiguation

Word sense disambiguation is when a computer program tries to figure out what a word means in a particular sentence. Sometimes, words can have more than one meaning, and it can be hard to know which one the writer meant. For example, the word "bat" could mean the animal that flies or the stick used to hit a ball.

To figure out the correct meaning, the program looks at the context around the word. It looks at the other words in the sentence and tries to figure out which meaning makes the most sense. It's like trying to figure out a puzzle by looking at all the clues you have.

The program might also look at a database of similar sentences to see how other people have used the word in the past. That way, it can make a better guess about what the writer meant.

Overall, word sense disambiguation is like having a really smart helper who can figure out what a word means when it's not totally clear.