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"plaything" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often toy (3 letters).
Definitions
an artifact designed to be played with
Word origin
From play + thing.
Used in a sentence
“O Lord of seven skies, whose plaything is the thunder, thou art amongst the gods, what need hast thou for words from any man?”
“We talk of our energies and of our will—we are the mere playthings of subtle and malignant chances.”
“Like the cards which form a child's plaything palace, our pleasures are nicely balanced one upon the other.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Toy”9 letters
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