Homonyms are distinguished into three types: 1. Homonyms proper 2. Homophones 3. Homographs Homonyms are the same in sound and spelling are traditionally termed homonyms proper. E.g.: match, (n.) – a game, match, (n.) – thing is used for producing fi re. Homonyms proper can be named by other terms. As for defi nition of the famous scientist I.A. Arnold these words are perfect homonyms. Professor A.I. Smirnitsky called them full homonyms.

Homonyms are the same in sound but different in spelling can be defi ned as homophones. E.g.: a piece (n.) – peace (n.); cent (n.) – sent (v.); write (v.) – right (adj.); maid (n.) – made (v.). The examples here show that homophones may be belong both to the same and to different categories of parts of speech. Professor A.I. Smirnitsky offered the following defi nition, “Homonyms belonging to different categories of parts of speech and possessing one identical form in their paradigms are called partial homonyms.” [Smirnitsky:1986, 96].

Homographs are words with the same spelling but pronounced differently. E.g. bow –[bau]- (v.) – to incline the head or body in salutation, bow – [bəu] – (n.) – a fl exible strip of wood for propelling arrows; to lead [li:d ] – (v.) – to conduct on the way, go before to show the way,

lead [led ] – (n.) – a heavy, rather soft metal.

A more detailed classifi cation was given by I.V. Arnold. She classifi ed only perfect homonyms and suggested four criteria of their classifi cation: lexical meaning, grammatical meaning, basic forms and paradigms. According to these criteria I.V. Arnold pointed out the following groups:

 homonyms are identical in their grammatical meanings, basic forms and paradigms (a typical example or model of a word) and different in their lexical meanings, e.g. a board in the meanings a council and “a thin fl at piece of wood”;

 homonyms are identical in their grammatical meanings and basic forms, different in their lexical meanings and paradigms, e.g. to lie – lied – lied, and to lie – lay – lain;

 homonyms are different in their lexical meanings, grammatical meanings, paradigms, but coinciding in their basic forms, e.g. light – lights, light – lighter – lightest;

 homonyms are different in their lexical meanings, grammatical meanings, in their basic forms, but coinciding in one of the forms of their paradigms, e.g. a bit and bit (from “to bite”).