Semantic Ambiguity

Semantic ambiguity is the property of a linguistic expression that permits multiple distinct meanings or interpretations while retaining a single syntactic structure. Unlike syntactic ambiguity — where a string admits multiple parse trees — semantic ambiguity arises when the parsed form itself underdetermines what the expression is about. Frege's puzzle of the morning star and evening star is the foundational example: two expressions with different cognitive values but identical referents, revealing that meaning is not exhausted by reference. The resolution of semantic ambiguity depends not on grammar but on pragmatic resolution: context, speaker intention, and shared background knowledge that constrain interpretation without eliminating the underlying multiplicity.