antanaclasis

noun

Meaning

A rhetorical device in which a word or phrase is used more than once in a sentence, but with a different meaning each time.

Examples

  • The politician's speech was full of antanaclasis, repeating 'freedom' with ever-shifting definitions.
  • Antanaclasis can be a powerful tool for humor, as when a comedian plays on the double meanings of words.

Synonyms: pun, wordplay, double entendre