1. A play on words based on the similarity of sound between words of different meanings; a pun or wordplay.
Usage: literary; rhetorical device

Examples

• The comedian's paronomasia on 'knight' and 'night' drew groans from the audience.
• Shakespeare frequently employed paronomasia in his sonnets to create witty double meanings.
• The advertisement used paronomasia with 'cereal' and 'serial' to make the product memorable.
• Her paronomasia comparing 'patients' and 'patience' was both clever and fitting for a doctor's office.
• The poet's paronomasia on 'break' and 'brake' added layers of meaning to the verse.
• Paronomasia is a common technique in advertising slogans and brand names.