American Football Vocabulary Worksheet

Press Print worksheet to match twelve American football terms, from touchdown and quarterback to punt, to their meanings.

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All 36 terms

Key football words 12

end zone The scoring area that lies beyond each goal line. "She caught the ball with both feet in the end zone."
field goal A kick through the goalposts that earns three points. "A late field goal put them ahead by one."
first down Four more tries for the offense, won by gaining ten yards. "One more yard would have been a first down."
fumble To drop the ball by accident while in control of it. "Wet gloves made him fumble on the first play."
huddle A quick meeting of one side's players between plays. "The huddle broke with a single clap."
interception A pass caught by an opponent, not the intended teammate. "Her interception ended the drive."
kickoff The kick that opens each half and follows most scores. "The kickoff sailed deep into the end zone."
punt A kick made in midair, right after the hands let go. "A high punt gave the team time to run downfield."
quarterback The team's passer, who takes the ball as each play begins. "The quarterback called the play twice so everyone heard."
tackle To stop a runner by bringing that player to the ground. "It took two defenders to tackle him."
touchdown A six-point score, earned beyond the opponents' goal line. "The crowd stood up for the first touchdown."
yard line A stripe across the field that tells how far the goal is. "They started again from their own 30 yard line."

Show all 36 terms (24 more)

Players and teams 12

ball carrier Whichever player has hold of the football right now. "Three players chased the ball carrier to the sideline."
blocker A player who gets in the way of would-be tacklers. "He followed his blocker around the corner."
defense The unit that tries to keep the opponents from advancing. "The defense gave up only one long run."
defensive back A player set deep to guard against thrown balls. "The defensive back knocked the pass away."
head coach The top person on a team's staff, who directs the rest. "The head coach chose to kick."
kick returner Whoever waits deep for a punt or kickoff, then carries it. "The kick returner waited alone near the goal line."
linebacker A tackler posted a few steps back from the linemen. "The linebacker read the play and stepped up."
offense The unit on the field when its team holds the ball. "Our offense stayed on the field for nine plays."
official One of the crew who watch for fouls and signal them. "An official blew the whistle to stop the play."
placekicker The specialist who kicks a ball set on the ground. "The placekicker warmed up behind the bench."
running back A player who is handed the ball and charges ahead with it. "The running back found a gap on the right."
wide receiver A pass catcher who lines up far out to one side. "The wide receiver ran straight, then cut left."

Passing, rules and the clock 12

forward pass A throw that sends the ball toward the opponents' goal. "A forward pass to the corner gained twenty yards."
game clock The timer showing how much of a quarter remains. "The game clock showed nine seconds."
incomplete pass A throw that nobody catches before it hits the turf. "The incomplete pass stopped the clock."
instant replay Footage of the action, run again right after it happens. "Instant replay showed that her foot was on the line."
lateral pass A ball tossed to a teammate who is level or farther back. "A quick lateral pass kept the play alive."
line of scrimmage The unseen mark across the field where each play begins. "Both teams crouched at the line of scrimmage."
pass interference A foul: hindering a player who is trying to make a catch. "The flag was for pass interference."
pass rush A charge by defenders to reach the thrower in time. "A strong pass rush forced a hurried throw."
screen pass A short toss to a teammate with blockers out in front. "The screen pass fooled the whole front line."
sudden death Extra play that ends the moment either side scores. "The final went to sudden death."
two-point conversion An extra play after a touchdown, tried in place of a kick. "Down by eight, they needed a two-point conversion."
yardage How far the ball has been moved up or down the field. "Most of their yardage came on the ground."

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-12. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day in two references: the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). Kickoff was read in Wiktionary under kick-off and incomplete pass under incompletion. Where a dictionary has no entry or no sense of the game, the reference is an article of English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: Glossary of American football terms for yard line; Incomplete pass, Screen pass and Pass interference for the terms they are named after; Rush (gridiron football) for pass rush; Return specialist for kick returner; Blocking (gridiron football) for blocker; American football rules for game clock. The answers under the list rest on the articles Touchdown, American football field, Down (gridiron football) and American football. The sentence in quotation marks after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

This American football vocabulary worksheet prints twelve terms down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. It opens on key words such as touchdown and huddle. Two more sets cover players, passing and rules.

Read the full guide

Key football words, from touchdown to interception

Set opens on Key football words: touchdown, quarterback, huddle, yard line, punt, tackle, end zone, field goal, kickoff, fumble, first down and interception. Players and teams runs from offense, defense and wide receiver to head coach and official.

Passing, rules and the clock

The third set prints line of scrimmage, forward pass, incomplete pass, screen pass, lateral pass, pass interference, pass rush, two-point conversion, yardage, sudden death, instant replay and game clock. Under the tool each term has a sentence from a game, such as "A strong pass rush forced a hurried throw."

Football on this sheet is the American game throughout. No league, team or player is named.

Questions and answers

How many points is a touchdown worth?

Six. The scoring team then tries for one more point with a kick or two more with a two-point conversion. A field goal is worth three points and a safety two.

How long is an American football field?

It is 100 yards between the goal lines, with a 10-yard end zone at each end, so 120 yards (360 feet) in all. The field is 160 feet wide, which is 53 1/3 yards.

What is a down in American football?

A down is one attempt by the offense to advance the ball. A team has four downs to move ten yards or more; if it does, it is given a new set of four.

How many players are on the field in American football?

Eleven for each team. Substitutions can be made between downs, so a team sends out different players for offense, defense and kicking plays.

All 36 terms

Key football words 12

Players and teams 12

Passing, rules and the clock 12

How it works

Key football words, from touchdown to interception

Passing, rules and the clock

Questions and answers

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