basketballFind to reveal
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891, using a soccer ball and two peach baskets nailed to a gym wall.
Sports Word Search
Find familiar words. Discover something unexpected.
Puzzle10 words · 11×11 grid · Medium · Answer key included
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0 of 10 facts revealed
wrestlingFind to reveal
Abraham Lincoln earned recognition in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, giving a president famous for speeches a place among grapplers.
swimmingFind to reveal
An 1896 Olympic swimming race was restricted to Greek navy sailors, making a competitor's job part of an unusually specific entry requirement.
marathonFind to reveal
Abebe Bikila won the 1960 Olympic marathon barefoot, then repeated his victory in 1964 wearing shoes, collecting gold with both choices.
baseballFind to reveal
Major-league baseballs are rubbed with mud from a secret New Jersey location, giving clean new balls a deliberately dirty beginning before play.
cyclingFind to reveal
The first bicycle had no pedals: riders pushed it along with their feet, and it was nicknamed the running machine.
archeryFind to reveal
Archer Matt Stutzman won Paralympic gold holding his bow with a foot, competing without the two-handed grip most beginners learn.
soccerFind to reveal
The word soccer is actually British, a clipped form of association football, coined at Oxford alongside the slang rugger.
tennisFind to reveal
Tennis gets its name from a French call meaning take or receive, shouted as the ball was put into play.
golfFind to reveal
On the Moon, Alan Shepard attached a golf-club head to a sampling tool, turning astronaut equipment into sporting gear.
True stories · Key West, Florida
Never too old to swim
In September 2013 Diana Nyad came ashore at Key West, Florida, after a reported Cuba-to-Florida crossing of roughly 110 miles and 53 hours. She was 64, and this was her fifth attempt over 35 years. Earlier attempts had met storms, currents and jellyfish; this time she wore a protective mask and had a large support team. Her arrival became an international story of persistence. Its record status is disputed: in 2023 the World Open Water Swimming Association denied ratification, citing rules and documentation problems. The dramatic beach finish remains part of the story, but it should be distinguished from an officially ratified, unassisted swimming record.
You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.
Wayne Gretzky
Trivia
What is the official distance of a modern marathon?
42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards, commonly rounded to 26.2 miles).
What is an equal tennis score of 40-all, or an equal score after an advantage, called?
Deuce.
Which sport was the first played on the Moon, when an astronaut hit two balls in 1971?
Golf.
What five interlocking colored rings make up the Olympic symbol, and what do they represent?
Blue, yellow, black, green and red. Together they represent the union of the five continents and athletes meeting at the Olympic Games; individual colors are not assigned to continents.
In which country did judo and karate both develop into the forms practiced today?
Japan.
Trivia · 1 / 5
What is the official distance of a modern marathon?
42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards, commonly rounded to 26.2 miles).
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In 1896 Walter Arnold was convicted of speeding in Britain after driving at about 8 mph in a 2 mph zone.
Play →or printTrue stories · Athens, Greece
The water carrier who won
On April 10, 1896, in Athens, Greece, a quiet water carrier named Spyridon Louis won the first modern Olympic marathon. He worked hauling water by cart between his village and the city. Running the route from Marathon, he took the lead late and entered the Panathenaic Stadium to a roar from tens of thousands of Greeks, some of whom rose and wept. Two royal princes ran the final stretch beside him. When the king offered him a reward, Louis asked only for a horse and cart to help carry his water more easily. He never raced competitively again, content as a local hero.
We should never, ever give up. You are never too old to chase your dream.
Diana Nyad
Find golf, soccer and tennis among the words hidden in this puzzle. Play free online or print the puzzle with its answer key.
Is this sports word search free to print?
This sports word search is a free printable puzzle with 10 hidden words in an 11×11 grid. Find words like BASKETBALL, WRESTLING, SWIMMING hidden across, down, and diagonally. You can play it right here in your browser — tap the first and last letter of a word — or download it as a printable PDF with the full answer key on page two. It's free for personal and classroom use, so teachers can print copies for a whole class with no sign-up and no account. Word searches like this one are a proven way to build vocabulary, spelling, and word-shape recognition, which is why they're a favourite with ESL learners, elementary classrooms, and anyone who likes a quiet puzzle with their coffee.
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Sources: Diana Nyad crossing and ratification decision (WOWSA) · Spyridon Louis, 1896 marathon (Britannica) · Alan Shepard's Moon golf shot (Smithsonian) · Jigoro Kano, founder of judo (IJF)
Word list, facts & trivia researched and compiled by Sam Letterman — spotted a mistake? Tell us and we’ll fix it.