Function overloading lets multiple functions share one name as long as they differ in their parameters, number or types. The compiler performs overload resolution at compile time, choosing the best match for the argument types at each call site, then emits a direct call to that specific function. There's no runtime dispatch, tag, or indirection, it's a purely static, zero-cost mechanism. This replaces C's need for type-suffixed names (abs/labs/fabs) and lets you write, say, a write(uint8_t) and write(const uint8_t*, size_t) that callers invoke uniformly. The key constraint is that overloads must differ in parameters; you can't overload on return type alone, because the call site alone wouldn't determine which to pick.
C++ for Embedded · Interview question
What is function overloading and when is the choice resolved?
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From the lesson
Function & Operator Overloading
One name, several type-specific implementations the compiler picks for you, and giving your own types natural operators, without the runtime cost of C's void* or tagged dispatch.