Ball Games Word Search

About this puzzle

Fourteen ball games from around the world: global giants (soccer, basketball, baseball, cricket, tennis, golf), team sports with devoted followings (rugby, volleyball, handball, lacrosse, netball, water polo, softball) and one played in a lane (bowling). Some names give away the equipment — BASKETBALL, HANDBALL, NETBALL — while others, like CRICKET and RUGBY, come from older traditions.

The default layout is Easy on a 10×10 grid. Easy, Medium and Hard each use their own checked layout of the same words, and every one can be printed in standard or large print on US Letter or A4.

Word notes

Soccer

Called football in most of the world; "soccer" comes from a short form of "association football".

Basketball

Invented by James Naismith in 1891, originally with peach baskets as the goals.

Volleyball

Invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan as a gentler indoor game.

Rugby

Named after Rugby School in England, where the game developed in the 1800s.

Cricket

Played with a bat and ball on an oval field; a single Test match can last up to five days.

Lacrosse

Played with a stick that has a small net pocket.

Netball

A team sport popular in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Try this after the puzzle

Survey the group: which of these sports has each person played or watched? Make a tally chart. Then sort the sports by how many players are on a team, or by what they use — a bat, a racket, a stick, or just hands and feet.

All 14 words

Soccer · Basketball · Baseball · Volleyball · Tennis · Rugby · Cricket · Golf · Handball · Softball · Bowling · Lacrosse · Water Polo · Netball