Definitions of lead:

• noun:   the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge

  Example: "The lead was in the dummy"

• noun:   a position of leadership (especially in the phrase `take the lead')

  Example: "He takes the lead in any group"

• noun:   mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil
• noun:   thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing
• noun:   an advantage held by a competitor in a race

  Example: "He took the lead at the last turn"

• noun:   evidence pointing to a possible solution

  Example: "The police are following a promising lead"

• noun:   the introductory section of a story

  Example: "It was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matter"

• noun:   a news story of major importance
• noun:   (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base

  Example: "He took a long lead off first"

• noun:   the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)
• noun:   a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull gray

  Example: "The children were playing with lead soldiers"

• noun:   the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine
• noun:   an indication of potential opportunity

  Example: "A good lead for a job"

• noun:   a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire

  Example: "It was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leads"

• noun:   restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal
• noun:   an actor who plays a principal role
• verb:   tend to or result in

  Example: "This remark lead to further arguments among the guests"

• verb:   be ahead of others; be the first
• verb:   pass or spend

  Example: "Lead a good life"

• verb:   cause to undertake a certain action
• verb:   travel in front of; go in advance of others
• verb:   take somebody somewhere

  Example: "We lead him to our chief"

• verb:   be in charge of
• verb:   be conducive to

  Example: "The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing"

• verb:   lead, extend, or afford access
• verb:   cause something to pass or lead somewhere
• verb:   lead, as in the performance of a composition
• verb:   move ahead (of others) in time or space
• verb:   result in
• verb:   preside over
• verb:   stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point