Sports Vocabulary Matching Worksheet

All 36 terms

Places to play 12

course The route laid out for a race or a round of golf. A cross-country course may run through fields and woods.
court A hard, flat area marked with lines for a game. Tennis and basketball are played on a court.
diamond Baseball's infield, with one base per corner. Home plate is one corner of the diamond.
field An open stretch of grass or turf marked for a game. A soccer field has a goal at each end.
finish line The mark a racer must cross to complete a race. The first runner across the finish line wins.
gymnasium A roomy building where games are played under a roof. Gym is short for gymnasium.
locker room A room where players change clothes and store gear. The team meets in the locker room before the game.
pool A water-filled basin where swimmers train and race. Swimmers race in the lanes of a pool.
rink An iced or wooden surface where skaters glide. Ice hockey is played on a rink.
sideline The edge line that runs the length of a playing area. A ball that crosses the sideline is out of play.
stadium A big arena with tiers of seating around a field. A stadium can hold thousands of spectators.
track A lane-marked loop where runners compete. Runners stay in their lanes on a track.

Show all 36 terms (24 more)

Keeping score 12

championship The title held by the best team or player. A team must win the final to take the championship.
defeat A loss in a game or contest. A good sport shakes hands even after a defeat.
final The last game of a tournament, played for the title. Two teams are left to play in the final.
halftime The pause that splits a game into two parts. The players rest and talk with the coach at halftime.
overtime Extra playing time added to settle a tied game. If the score is level at the end, some games go to overtime.
point One unit added to a side's total. The side with more points at the end wins.
record The top mark anyone has set so far in an event. A runner who beats the fastest time sets a new record.
score The count of points each side has in a game. A score of 3 to 2 means one side leads by one.
scoreboard A large sign that shows the score to the crowd. Many scoreboards also show the time left.
tie A result with the two scores level. At 2 to 2 the game is a tie.
tournament A series of games played until one winner is left. In a knockout tournament the loser of each game is out.
victory The result for the side that comes out on top. The team celebrated its victory.

People and fair play 12

athlete Someone who practices hard and takes part in contests. An athlete may practice for years before a big race.
captain The team member picked as leader, who talks to officials. The captain may talk with the referee for the team.
coach The leader who teaches skills and picks the lineup. The coach chooses which players start the game.
foul An act that breaks the rules, such as tripping a player. The referee calls a foul and stops play.
opponent The other side in a match. Players shake hands with their opponents after the game.
penalty A punishment given to a side that breaks a rule. A penalty can give the other side a free shot.
referee The judge on the field whose calls the players must obey. The referee blows a whistle to stop play.
rule A statement of what players may and may not do. Each sport has its own book of rules.
spectator Someone in the stands who looks on. Spectators cheer for their side.
sportsmanship Gracious behavior toward rivals and officials. Thanking the other team shows sportsmanship.
teammate A player on the same team as you. A good pass sets up a teammate to score.
teamwork The joint effort of players toward one goal. Passing instead of always shooting is teamwork.

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-03. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. The terms were chosen with the articles Outline of sports, Sport and Sportsmanship of English Wikipedia open, read the same day (https://en.wikipedia.org/; Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license). The example after each meaning is our own. Every meaning was read against its source again on 2026-10-05. Licence: own work

How it works

This sports vocabulary matching worksheet prints twelve words down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. It is a sports vocabulary worksheet of plain words: no league, team or player is named.

Read the full guide

Three sets of twelve

Set opens on Places to play: field, court, track, rink, stadium, gymnasium, pool, diamond, course, locker room, sideline and finish line. Keeping score has score, point, tie, overtime, scoreboard, halftime, victory, defeat, tournament, championship, record and final.

People and fair play

The third set prints athlete, coach, referee, captain, teammate, opponent, spectator, sportsmanship, teamwork, rule, foul and penalty. Under the tool each word has an example sentence.

All of them, in the Set menu, draws twelve words from the three sets at random.

Questions and answers

Does it work as a sports ESL vocabulary worksheet?

The sheet prints everyday words such as field, coach and score, each with a meaning of one short line. The box under the tool takes your own word = meaning lines, so a class learning English can match its own list.

What is the difference between a referee and a coach?

A referee is the official whose calls the players must obey during a game. A coach belongs to one team: the coach teaches its players and picks who plays.

What is the difference between a tie and overtime?

A tie is a result in which both sides finish with the same score. Overtime is extra playing time that some games add to settle a tie.

Where is the answer key?

It prints after the worksheet, as the same sheet with every word joined to its meaning by a line. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page, under More options, to leave it out.