Free Printable Basketball Crossword Puzzles

Print a criss-cross basketball crossword of moves, rules and court words, with its answer key.

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Basketball Crossword

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Answer key: Basketball Crossword

1NE2T3GHY4P5O6RIM7CEREO8SNEAKE9RSAANECLGB10HUSTLEO11CYUH12OFFENSEDST

Across 1 NET · 6 RIM · 8 SNEAKERS · 10 HUSTLE · 12 OFFENSE

Down 2 THREE · 3 GYM · 4 PENALTY · 5 ORANGE · 7 COACH · 9 REBOUND · 11 CHEST

Next step Pick fair teams for a scrimmageFind basketball words in a word search

All 150 clues

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Moves and Shots 40

  • Air ball Shot that misses everything
  • Alley-oop High pass caught in midair and scored before the catcher lands
  • Assist Pass that leads straight to a made basket
  • Backdoor Run in behind a defender toward the basket
  • Backspin Spin that turns a ball backward as it flies ahead
  • Bank ___ shot: one that goes in off the board
  • Block Swat a shot away before it starts to drop
  • Bounce ___ pass: one that hits the floor once on its way to a teammate
  • Box out Get your body between an opponent and the basket as a shot goes up
  • Brick Slang for a shot that misses badly and bounces away
  • Chest ___ pass: a two-handed push from in front of the body
  • Crossover Quick switch of the ball from one hand to the other, off the floor, to get by an opponent
  • Cut Quick run toward the basket to get open
  • Dribble Tap the ball to the floor again and again with one hand while moving
  • Drive Attack the basket hard with the ball
  • Dunk Shot slammed down through the basket from above
  • Fadeaway Jump shot taken while leaning back, away from the basket
  • Fake Pretend to shoot or pass to fool an opponent
  • Fast break Rush up the court before the other team can set up
  • Floater Soft, high shot lofted over a tall defender
  • Give-and-go Play in which the passer runs to the basket and gets the ball right back
  • Hook ___ shot: a one-handed sweep of the arm over the head, side-on to the basket
  • Hustle All-out effort for every loose ball
  • Jab ___ step: a short, quick step to test a defender
  • Jump ball Toss between two opposing players, who leap to tap it
  • Jumper Short name for a shot taken in the air
  • Layup Close shot laid up near the basket with one hand, often off the board
  • Lob High, soft pass over a defender's reach
  • Outlet ___ pass: the first quick throw up the court after the other side misses
  • Pick ___ and roll: a teammate blocks the way, then heads for the basket
  • Pivot Turn on one planted foot while holding the ball
  • Press Guarding the other team closely all the way up the court
  • Putback Missed shot grabbed and scored at once
  • Rebound What a player pulls down when a shot misses
  • Screen Standing still in a defender's path to free a teammate
  • Stance The way a player stands, ready to move
  • Steal Take the ball away from an opponent
  • Swish Shot that drops through without touching the metal ring or the board
  • Tip-off The toss that starts a game
  • Zone Each player guards an area of the floor, not a person

Rules and Fouls 38

  • Arrow It shows which team gets the ball after the next held ball
  • Backcourt A team's own half of the court, the one it defends
  • Bonus Extra shots from the line that a team earns once the other side passes the foul limit
  • Bounds Out of ___: beyond the lines that edge the court
  • Buzzer Horn that ends a period
  • Call An official's ruling
  • Carry Let the hand slip under the ball while dribbling
  • Charge Foul for pushing or running into an opponent's body
  • Clock Game ___: it counts down the time left
  • Ejected Sent out of the game for good
  • Fifteen Feet from the foul line to the board
  • Fist Closed hand: the rules forbid striking the ball with it
  • Five Players a team has on the court at a time
  • Flagrant Kind of foul for rough, dangerous contact
  • Free throw Shot from the line with nobody guarding, given after a foul
  • Frontcourt The half of the court with the basket a team shoots at
  • Goaltending Illegal touch of a shot that is already dropping to the basket
  • Halftime Break at the midpoint of a game
  • Inbound Pass the ball into play from outside the lines
  • Overtime Extra play when the game ends with the score level
  • Penalty What a team pays for breaking a rule
  • Personal ___ foul: the common kind, for illegal contact
  • Possession What a team has while the ball is theirs
  • Quarter One of the four periods of most games
  • Referee Official who calls the fouls
  • Rulebook Where the laws of the game are written down
  • Shot clock Timer that limits how long a team may hold the ball before shooting
  • Signal Hand sign an official uses to show what happened
  • Substitute Player who comes in to replace another
  • Technical Foul for bad behavior, not for contact
  • Ten Feet from the floor up to a regulation basket
  • Three Points for a basket made from behind the long curved line
  • Tie Even score
  • Timeout Short break in play that a team asks for
  • Travel Move the feet too far while holding the ball without dribbling
  • Turnover Loss of the ball to the other team without a shot
  • Violation Rule break, such as traveling, that is not a foul
  • Whistle It hangs around an official's neck and stops play

Court and Gear 34

  • Arc The long curved line that long-range shots come from
  • Backboard Flat rectangle that the basket is mounted on
  • Baseline Boundary line behind each basket
  • Bench Seats for players who are not in the game
  • Bleachers Tiered rows of seats for the crowd
  • Box The white outline painted above the ring, an aiming mark for layups
  • Circle The round marking at the middle of the floor
  • Clipboard Small board on which plays are sketched
  • Cone Marker that players weave around while dribbling
  • Elbow Either end of the foul line
  • Gym Indoor place where a school keeps its court
  • Hardwood Nickname for an indoor court, from what the floor is made of
  • Headband Cloth loop that keeps sweat out of the eyes
  • Hoop Another word for the basket
  • Jersey Sleeveless team shirt with a number
  • Key Area in front of the basket named for its old keyhole shape
  • Lane Long strip in front of the basket; players line its sides during a foul shot
  • Leather What the cover of many indoor balls is made of
  • Locker ___ room: where a team changes before a game
  • Midcourt The middle of the floor, where one line splits it in half
  • Net Mesh that hangs from the ring
  • Orange The usual color of the ball
  • Paint Nickname for the colored area in front of the basket
  • Peach The first baskets, in 1891, were ___ baskets
  • Perimeter The outer part of the half court, away from the basket
  • Post Low ___: the spot beside the basket where big players set up
  • Pump Tool that puts air in a ball
  • Ribs The recessed black lines on the ball
  • Rim Metal ring the ball must go through
  • Scoreboard Display of the points and the time left
  • Sideline Boundary line along each long edge of the court
  • Sneakers Rubber-soled shoes that squeak on the floor
  • Stripe Charity ___: slang for the foul line
  • Wing Area out wide on either side of the floor

Players and Team Play 38

  • Average Total points divided by games played
  • Banner Cloth sign hung high to celebrate a title
  • Bracket Chart that shows who plays whom, round by round
  • Captain Player chosen to lead and to speak for the team
  • Center Position usually played by the tallest player
  • Coach Person who teaches the team and plans its plays
  • Defense The side guarding its basket
  • Drill Exercise repeated to build a skill
  • Fans The cheering crowd
  • Forward Position that comes in two kinds, small and power
  • Guard Position for the best ball handlers
  • Handshake What two sides trade in a line after the game
  • Home The side playing on its own floor
  • Horse Shot-matching playground game in which misses spell a word
  • Huddle Players gathered close to hear the plan
  • Lineup The players chosen to be on the floor together
  • Manager Person who handles a team's day-to-day business
  • Mascot Costumed character who fires up the crowd
  • Matchup Pairing of one player against another
  • Offense The team trying to score
  • Percentage Shots made divided by shots taken
  • Pickup ___ game: one played for fun with whoever shows up
  • Playbook A team's collection of drawn-up plays
  • Playoff Game after the regular schedule that helps decide the title
  • Practice Session where a team works on its skills
  • Rival Team you most want to beat
  • Rookie First-year player
  • Roster List of the players on a team
  • Scrimmage Informal game a team plays against itself
  • Starter Player on the floor when the game begins
  • Stats Numbers kept on points, rebounds and assists
  • Tempo The pace a team plays at
  • Tournament Series of games that ends with one winner
  • Triple ___-double: 10 or more in 3 stat columns in one game
  • Trophy Prize cup for the winners
  • Tryout Session where players show their skills to make the team
  • Varsity The main team that plays for a school
  • Warmup Easy shooting and stretching before the game

How this list was compiled: Clues written for this site. No league, team, player or brand appears. Rule clues keep to what the rulebooks share and were checked in October 2026 against the Official Basketball Rules 2026 of FIBA (fiba.basketball) and English Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0): Basketball, Basketball court and Glossary of basketball terms. Figures that differ by league, such as game length, foul limits and the shot clock, are left out. Licence: own work

How it works

These free printable basketball crossword puzzles are vocabulary crosswords about the game itself, for a PE class, a team practice or a tournament week. No league, team or player is named, so no clue goes out of date with a season.

Read the full guide

Four basketball sets and an easy one

Easy Basketball Words is the set with Dribble, Rebound, Hoop and Coach. Moves and Shots has Crossover, Fadeaway and Alley-oop. Rules and Fouls has Travel, Goaltending and Free throw. Court and Gear has Backboard, Baseline and Elbow. Players and Team Play has Guard, Scrimmage and Roster.

Rules every rulebook shares

Rule clues keep to common ground: five players a side, a regulation basket ten feet up, three points from beyond the arc. Figures that change from league to league, such as game length, foul limits and the shot clock, were left out.

  • Before the first scrimmage, print Rules and Fouls so new players can put a name to Travel, Carry and Charge.

Questions and answers

Do these printable crossword puzzles suit a middle school basketball team?

Yes, in our judgment, which is not a published standard. The four themed sets use words a middle school player hears in practice, such as Box out, Backcourt and Turnover; Easy Basketball Words suits grades 3 to 5.

Does the basketball crossword puzzle print with an answer key?

Yes. The key prints last, as a filled grid. To check one answer without printing, open Show all clues and answers on the page.

Are the basketball themed crossword puzzles free to print?

Yes, and there is nothing to sign up for. Print one for each player, on Letter or A4.

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