homonym

He included the bite mark for scale to set the apple apart from similar round fruit like cherries -- learning only later it was a homonym for the computer term "byte".

From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026

Another popular hashtag they use is “address book,” a near homonym for “homosexual” in Chinese, which has also spawned the offshoot keywords “female notebook” or “male notebook.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2024

“This is really problematic,” Trinkle says, pointing out a word that has a homonym with a similar definition.

From Washington Times ● May 29, 2023

The other constant is a sticky rice cake or nian gao, a homonym for "grow higher every year".

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2023

So the word "merciful," one of the attributes of God in the Bible, is a homonym.

From A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy by Isaac Husik

However, some awareness of homonyms and their multiple meanings will help ensure that your language is precise.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

One such riddle relies on synonyms and homonyms, requiring the solver to climb through both literal and metaphorical definitions to arrive at the eventual answer: poetry itself.

From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2021

Can I assume it was intended to demonstrate the difference between heteronyms and homonyms by placing it adjacent to John Ficarra’s hilarious essay?

From Washington Post ● May 28, 2021

A young man biked around the court wearing a pig mask and military hat, referencing homonyms for the accused TV host’s name.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2020

Of course, she meant to say “locking” rather than “baking,” but this is precisely what is so tricky about acronyms and homonyms.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood