here's one possible answer:
The word SET has the most definitions of any word in the English language. SET has 464 definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary. Here's how the others stack up:
RUN - 396 (defs.)
GO - 368
TAKE - 343
STAND - 334
GET - 289
TURN - 288
PUT - 268
FALL - 264
STRIKE - 250
source: puzzles.about.com

edit: I'd be extremely skeptical about these numbers -- just look at the OED entries for the headword {set, v.1}, for example (1 of 8 headwords for set). not to tax your patience, but the entry map looks something like this:

A
1
a
b
c
d
2
3
B
I
1
a
b
c
d
2
3
4
b
c
d
5
a
b
c
d
e
6
a
b
7
II
8
9
a
b
c
10
III
11
a
b
12
a
b
c
d
13
14
a
b
c
15
a
b
c
d
16
17
a
b
18
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
19
a
b
c
d
20
a
b
c
d
21
a
b
22
23
IV
24
a
b
25
a
b
26
a
b
c
d
27
28
a
b
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
a
b
38
39
a
b
40
41
42
43
a
b
44
V
45
46
47
a
b
c
48
49
50
51
a
b
c
52
53
54
a
b
c
d
e
55
a
b
c
56
a
b
57
a
b
58
a
b
VI
59
60
a
b
61
62
63
a
b
c
64
a
b
65
a
b
66
67
a
b
68
a
b
c
d
69
70
71
a
b
c
72
73
a
b
c
74
75
a
b
76
a
b
77
78
79
80
81
a
b
82
83
84
85
a
b
86
VII
87
88
a
b
89
a
b
c
d
90
91
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
VIII
92
a
b
c
93
a
b
c
94
a
b
95
a
b
c
d
e
96
a
b
97
a
b
c
d
98
a
b
c
99
100
a
b
c
101
102
103
104
a
b
IX
105
a
b
106
107
a
b
c
108
a
b
c
d
109
110
111
a
b
112
a
b
c
113
a
b
c
114
a
b
c
d
e
115
116
a
b
117
a
b
c
d
X
118
a
b
119
120
a
b
121
a
b
122
a
b
123
a
b
c
d
124
b
125
a
b
126
XI
127
a
b
128
a
b
c
129
130
a
b
131
132
a
b
c
d
XII
133
134
a
b
135
a
b
136
137
a
b
c
d
138
a
b
c
d
139
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
140
a
b
c
141
a
b
c
142
a
b
c
d
143
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
144
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
145
a
b
c
d
146
a
b
c
d
e
f
147
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
148
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
149
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
aa
150
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
151
152
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
153
a
b
c
d
154
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
aa
bb
cc
dd
ee
ff
gg
hh
ii
jj
kk
ll
mm
nn
oo
pp
qq
rr

is that 157 "definitions", or something else??

edit2: my curiosity got the best of me, and it looks like it's definitely "something else" -- my best guess is, that to arrive at anything approaching the above numbers, they counted each entry as a definition; i.e., 154a is one.. 154b is another.. 154rr is yet another...

whoever completed that count is on a serious fixed income!

Last edited by tsuwm; 02/22/07 03:44 PM.