If you have a numeric keypad1, try this in the *scratch* buffer: enable numlock and press the zero on the numeric keyboard (Num-0). Then press the zero located between the alpha keys and the function keys (0). Okay, you see 00, no big deal.
Why do I bring this up? Emacs interprets Num-0 keypress as <kp-0> while it interprets 0 as 0. This means that you could bind Num-0 to a function without affecting the other 0. You could configure Num-0 to insert "zero" by entering and evaluating this in the *scratch* buffer:
(keymap-local-set "<kp-0>" #'(lambda () (interactive) (insert "zero")))
That's a trivial example, of course. But it implies that you can have ten more keys to play with. Similarly, the arithmetic operator keys on the numeric keyboard differ from the "regular ones" that are grouped with the alpha keys. They can be bound to functions, referenced as <kp-add>, <kp-subtract>, <kp-multiply>, <kp-divide>. But these also accept the standard C- M- S- modifier keys, which gives you twelve more possibilities. This is true also for the Insert key <kp-insert> and the Delete key <kp-delete> that double as Num-0 and Num-., respectively.
I have a "Calc" key above the numeric keypad. Unfortunately I can't seem to use it for anything in Emacs -- it opens the OS's calc.exe program regardless of what modifiers I use with it. This is a shame because it would be the ideal mapping for M-x calc. Perhaps this can be altered in BIOS.
But I do use my Win key as a modifier (sometimes). And I've heard that the Caps Lock key can be repurposed. These are topics for other posts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeric_keypad
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