12 puzzles · all free to play and print
March Madness Word Search
Free March Madness word search puzzles to print or play online.
Play online or print
Basketball Basics
8 words to find
- BALL
- HOOP
- NET
- COURT
- SHOOT
- DRIBBLE
- DUNK
- SCORE
Drag from the first to the last letter of a word, or tap the first letter and then the last. The PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
All 12 March Madness puzzles stay free here. Want them as one printable booklet?
12 printable March Madness word search puzzles
twelve puzzles in three levels. Easy puzzles are 10 by 10 grids with eight words across and down, medium puzzles are 13 by 13 grids with twelve words and diagonals, and hard puzzles are 16 by 16 grids with eighteen words in every direction, backwards too. Sub-themes include bracket time, basketball skills, tournament format and the history of basketball. Every puzzle has an answer key and prints on US Letter or A4. Every one of these 12 puzzles is free: play it online above or print its PDF, with the answer key on page 2. No account, no email.
Easy: across and down 4 puzzles
Medium: across, down and diagonal 4 puzzles
Hard: every direction, backwards too 4 puzzles
Optional · all in one file
Want all 12 in one booklet?
You do not need it: every March Madness puzzle above is free to play and to download one by one. The booklet is only for printing them all at once, a 26-page PDF with a cover, a contents page and the answer keys at the back. Buying it also keeps this site free for everyone.
One-time payment, secure checkout with Stripe. US Letter and A4 PDFs, the download link arrives by email.
How to use these March Madness word searches
Print the easy puzzles for the kids' table at a bracket party, and use the medium puzzles at an office pool or school pep rally. PE teachers can hand out Basketball Basics before a unit on the sport. Fans can fill a halftime with a hard puzzle. Each PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
Make your own March Madness word search
Add your own words, a name or a class list to these march madness words and pick a level. The preview is free; the printable PDF with its answer key is $1.99.
Good to know about March Madness word search
Every March Madness puzzle on this page is free to play online and free to print as a PDF with its answer key, one by one. Only the optional booklet, all 12 puzzles bundled into one print-ready file, costs money.
They use general basketball and tournament words such as bracket, upset, seed and buzzer beater. There are no team nicknames and no current players, so any fan can use them.
Bracket Time is the easy puzzle with picks, guess, winner and luck, and Tournament Words is the medium one with upset, underdog and overtime. Both print well for a group of mixed ages.
Basketball History (hard) covers James Naismith, the peach basket, Springfield, the thirteen original rules, Senda Berenson and the first women's rules at Smith College.
Easy puzzles (10 by 10, words across and down) work from about age 6. Medium puzzles (13 by 13, diagonals added) suit ages 8 to 11. Hard puzzles (16 by 16, every direction, backwards too) are for older kids and adults.
Page 2 of every PDF is the answer key, with each word marked where it hides. When you play online, the Show answers button marks them on the grid.
Every puzzle comes as a US Letter PDF (8.5 by 11 inches) and an A4 PDF (210 by 297 mm). Print at 100% or Actual size.
Every puzzle on this page plays in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer: drag or tap from the first to the last letter of a word. Nothing to install and no account.
Print as many copies as you need for your home, classroom, church group or care home. Please link to this page instead of uploading the files elsewhere.