Vocabulary
Ambiguous meaning: when words have more than one possible meaning
A colleague says, "I saw her duck." Did the woman lower her head, or did the speaker see her pet bird? The sentence is ambiguous until the context tells you which meaning fits.
Use ambiguous to describe language or information with more than one possible meaning, and revise it for clarity.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
ambiguous /æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs/
The short answer
Ambiguous means having more than one possible meaning, so the intended meaning is not clear from the words alone.
The instruction to call the manager after lunch was ambiguous.
Why it works: It may mean call after the manager has lunch, or call after the speaker has lunch.
3 more examples
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The message, "Meet me by the bank," was ambiguous without a location.
Bank may mean a financial building or the side of a river, so the reader needs more information.
Not this:The message, "Meet me outside the bank on King Street,"
was clear. What changes: The street and the outside location remove the two possible meanings of bank. -
Her reply, "I will see you later," was ambiguous about the time.
Later could mean later that day, later in the week, or another time.
Not this:Her reply, "I will see you at 3 p.m.,"
gave a clear time. What changes: A specific time tells the listener exactly when the meeting will happen. -
The rule was ambiguous because it did not say who could approve the request.
Several people might appear to have authority, so the rule needs a named role.
Not this:The rule
named the department headas the person who could approve the request. What changes: Naming the decision-maker leaves one clear interpretation.
Read the full guide
Use ambiguous when there is a real choice between meanings. A sentence can be short and still be clear, while a long sentence can be ambiguous if its grammar or word choice allows two readings.
Look for two possible readings
A sentence is ambiguous when a careful reader can reasonably understand it in more than one way. The words may have more than one meaning, or the grammar may not show who did an action.
The note said to photograph the children with the camera. It is unclear whether the children have the camera or the photographer does.
Use ambiguous for language and information
Ambiguous commonly appears with words such as statement, wording, question, instruction, answer, and rule. It can also describe a signal or result when the available information supports more than one conclusion.
The customer gave an ambiguous answer, so the assistant asked a follow-up question.
Add the detail that decides the meaning
To make wording clear, identify the missing person, object, time, place, or relationship. Replace a vague pronoun with a name when the reader could connect it to two people.
Instead of saying, "When Ana spoke to Priya, she was worried," say which person was worried.
Separate ambiguity from difficulty
A technical report can be difficult because it uses unfamiliar terms, yet still have one clear meaning. Call it ambiguous only when two interpretations are available. If the issue is missing detail, say that the information is incomplete.
Difficult means hard to understand. Ambiguous means open to more than one reasonable meaning.
Revise a sentence for clarity
A booking email says, "The guest called the driver after the flight." What detail could remove the ambiguity?
State who called and when. For example, "After her flight landed, the guest called the driver."
Before you go
Remember this
Use ambiguous for a phrase, message, or situation that has two or more possible meanings. To remove ambiguity, name the person, time, place, or action that the reader needs to know.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Ambiguous meaning: when words have more than one possible meaning"
What does ambiguous mean?
Ambiguous means that words, information, or a situation can have two or more possible meanings, so the intended meaning is not certain.
The message, "Meet me by the bank," was ambiguous without a location.
What is an example of an ambiguous sentence?
Meet me by the bank is ambiguous because bank can mean a financial building or the side of a river. Add a location to make the meaning clear.
The message, "Meet me outside the bank on King Street," was clear.
Is ambiguous the same as difficult?
No. Difficult means hard to understand. Ambiguous means that more than one reasonable interpretation is possible, even if every word is familiar.
Her reply, "I will see you later," was ambiguous about the time.
How can I remove ambiguity from a sentence?
Add the detail that decides the meaning. Name the person, time, place, object, or action when a reader could understand the sentence in two ways.
Her reply, "I will see you at 3 p.m.," gave a clear time.
How do you pronounce ambiguous?
Say am-BIG-yoo-us. The main stress falls on BIG, the second syllable.
The rule was ambiguous because it did not say who could approve the request.
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