| 100% | BONGO | 5 | Drum that's played with the hands |
| 94% | BONGO | 5 | Small drum that's played with the hands |
| 70% | BONGO | 5 | Drum played with the hands |
| 70% | BONGOS | 6 | Drums played with the hands |
| 66% | BONGO | 5 | Small drum played with the hands |
| 66% | BONGOS | 6 | Small drums played with the hands |
| 54% | BONGO | 5 | Small drum played with one’s hands |
| 53% | STRUM | 5 | Play with a sweep of the hand |
| 52% | SNARE | 5 | Drum that can be played with a brush |
| 52% | BONGO | 5 | Drum played with hands |
| 50% | TABOR | 5 | Drum typically played with one hand |
| 50% | ORGAN | 5 | Instrument played with both the hands and the feet |
| 50% | BONGO | 5 | Drum played with hands (rhymes with "Congo") |
| 50% | CHICAGO | 7 | 1996 Tony-winning musical revival with the song "All That Jazz" currently playing at Broadway's Ambassador Theatre |
| 49% | TREBLE | 6 | Kind of clef preceding notes usually played with the right hand on a piano |
| 48% | RISK | 4 | Popular board game that's played with armies on a map ... and the theme connecting 21a, 40a, 47a, 9d, and 38d |
| 48% | CROSS | 5 | Powerful boxing punch that's usually thrown with the dominant hand |
| 48% | HEYMRDJ | 7 | 1990s hit with the line "keep playing that song, all night" |
| 47% | BADMINTON | 9 | Sport that's played with a shuttlecock |
| 47% | POWERBALL | 9 | It’s played with two drums |
| 46% | ONEONONE | 8 | Hall & Oates hit with the lyric "I wanna play that game tonight" (3 wds.) |
| 46% | SAXOPHONE | 9 | Instrument that must be played with the mouth |
| 46% | BOTTOMTOMTOM | 12 | Drum that's under all the others? |
| 45% | JAMS | 4 | Plays with the band |
| 45% | OEDIPUSREX | 10 | Play with the Sphinx |
| 45% | TAMALES | 7 | Steamed food items eaten with the hands |
| 45% | GIN | 3 | It's played with two hands |
| 44% | CLAY | 4 | Material that can be sculpted with the hands |
| 44% | ARCO | 4 | Played with the bow, in music |
| 44% | SIGN | 4 | Speak with the hands |