| 100% | DSO | 3 | DARPA branch that pursues high-payoff research that can be used in U.S. national security activities (abbr.) |
| 33% | LIMA | 4 | Bean that can be used in succotash |
| 33% | OAR | 3 | Tool that can be used in a lake |
| 33% | KAYAK | 5 | Boat that can be used in canoe slalom |
| 33% | TWINE | 5 | Kitchen ___ (string that can be used in cooking) |
| 33% | LASER | 5 | Beam that could be used in eye surgery |
| 33% | FRISBEE | 7 | A flying disc that can be used in competitions |
| 33% | NEON | 4 | Noble gas that can be used in bright signs |
| 33% | VINEGAR | 7 | Mild acid condiment that can be used in cleaning |
| 33% | ROSEHIPS | 8 | Reddish flower fruits that can be used in tea |
| 32% | LVAD | 4 | Heart pump that is used in "Grey's Anatomy" for Denny Duquette: Abbr. |
| 32% | GUAVA | 5 | Tropical fruit that can be used in the drink agua fresca |
| 32% | STATEDEBT | 9 | Something that can be collected from anywhere in the U.S.? |
| 32% | LASTYEAR | 8 | Phrase that can be used in place of “yesterday” on January 1st |
| 31% | DNA | 3 | Genetic stuff that can be used as evidence: Abbr. |
| 31% | LARD | 4 | Fat in the can that may be used in cooking |
| 31% | HOE | 3 | Tool that can be used on dirt blocks, in Minecraft |
| 31% | MSG | 3 | Flavor enhancer that might be used in Chinese food: Abbr. |
| 31% | SPACE | 5 | The "S" in NASA, and a word that can be used alongside 22a, 39a, 40a, 50a, 27d, and 29d |
| 31% | STONE | 5 | The Sorcerer's ___, legendary magical object in "Harry Potter" that could be used to make the Elixir of Life |
| 31% | CDS | 3 | Music recordings that can be stored in racks and towers: Abbr. |
| 30% | EWE | 3 | Farm female that can be used as a pronoun in a rebus |
| 30% | EWE | 3 | Farm animal that can be used as a pronoun in a rebus |
| 30% | SLAG | 4 | Something left over from the Bessemer process that could be used in fertilizer or as a cement additive |
| 30% | GRACELAND | 9 | Elvis Presley's mansion in Memphis that is a U.S. National Historic Landmark |
| 30% | ACES | 4 | Cards that can be either high or low in blackjack |
| 29% | ALUM | 4 | Chemical that can be bought in a block and used as a perfume-free antiperspirant |
| 29% | FLASK | 5 | Volumetric container found in a lab that can be used to see some chemical reactions |
| 29% | SPONGE | 6 | ___ cake, lightly flavored cake that can be used to form multiple layers in a cake |
| 29% | DNA | 3 | Genetic substance that may be used as evidence in court: Abbr. |