Yes, leads is a Scrabble word!

Verb

1. Take somebody somewhere

2. Have as a result or residue

3. Tend to or result in

4. Travel in front of; go in advance of others

5. Cause to undertake a certain action

6. Stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point

7. Be in charge of

8. Be ahead of others; be the first

9. Be conducive to

10. Lead, as in the performance of a composition; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years"

11. Lead, extend, or afford access

12. Move ahead (of others) in time or space

13. Cause something to pass or lead somewhere

14. Preside over

Noun

1. An advantage held by a competitor in a race

2. A soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey

3. Evidence pointing to a possible solution

4. A position of leadership (especially in the phrase `take the lead')

5. The angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)

6. The introductory section of a story

7. (sports) the score by which a team or individual is winning

8. An actor who plays a principal role

9. (baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base

10. An indication of potential opportunity

11. A news story of major importance

12. The timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine

13. Restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal

14. Thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing

15. Mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil

16. A jumper that consists of a short piece of wire

17. The playing of a card to start a trick in bridge