Fun "GrueLLing Games" word puzzle worksheet for kids, combining a crossword and fill-in-the-blank questions with a playful seal illustration.

Let's solve this word puzzle step by step. This is a word search and fill-in-the-blank worksheet titled "GRUELLING GAMES." The goal is to:

1. Find the words hidden in the grid (they are listed above and around it).
2. Use those words to fill in the blanks in the 21 clues below.

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Step 1: List of Words Provided

The words we can use are:
- single
- Friday
- begins
- sometimes
- seconds
- whistle
- open
- women
- seven
- team
- behind
- return
- square
- winning
- weather
- title
- shake
- score
- ticket
- television
- shout

These words appear in the grid, and we need to find them horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (possibly backward). But since the clues are fill-in-the-blanks, we’ll focus on matching clues to these words.

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Step 2: Solve Each Clue

We'll go through each clue one by one and determine the correct answer from the list.

---

1. The day after Thursday is ________.
→ Friday ✔

2. The opposite of close is ________
→ open ✔

3. There are many sports programs on ________.
→ television ✔

4. To come back to is to ________.
→ return ✔

5. You have to buy a ________ for the game.
→ ticket ✔

6. ________ means only one.
→ single ✔

7. All players ________ hands after the game.
→ shake ✔

8. Grown up girls are called ________.
→ women ✔

9. A ________ is a loud call.
→ shout ✔

10. Smaller time units than minutes ________
→ seconds ✔

11. The ________ was tied.
→ score ✔ (e.g., the score was tied)

12. The opposite of in front of is ________.
→ behind ✔

13. The start is where the race ________.
→ begins ✔

14. A box with four equal sides is a ________.
→ square ✔

15. The opposite of losing is ________.
→ winning ✔

16. The referee blew his ________.
→ whistle ✔

17. You can't always win, ________ you lose.
→ sometimes ✔

18. The number before eight is ________.
→ seven ✔

19. They cancelled the game due to bad ________.
→ weather ✔

20. There are eight people on a ________.
→ team ✔ (commonly used for teams like in sports; e.g., a basketball team has five, but some games have eight — contextually acceptable)

21. What is the ________ of that book?
→ title ✔

---

Final Answers:

| Number | Answer |
|--------|--------------|
| 1 | Friday |
| 2 | open |
| 3 | television |
| 4 | return |
| 5 | ticket |
| 6 | single |
| 7 | shake |
| 8 | women |
| 9 | shout |
| 10 | seconds |
| 11 | score |
| 12 | behind |
| 13 | begins |
| 14 | square |
| 15 | winning |
| 16 | whistle |
| 17 | sometimes |
| 18 | seven |
| 19 | weather |
| 20 | team |
| 21 | title |

---

Verification with Word Search Grid

Now, let’s briefly verify that all these words can be found in the grid.

Looking at the grid:

```
w h i s t l e b e g i n s
e s e c o n d s h r t n e
a q o p e n t i c k e t v
t u s m b e b o s h a k e
h a f t e l e v i s i o n
e r e r h t e a m t r g h
r e s t i t i l e r g s
a w c o n d b m q u e y i
p r o u d e a r e t u r n
f i r m e s s y l s a y g
e p e u e s h o u t e j l
s t w i n n i n g o u a e
```

Let’s check a few key ones:

- Friday: Not directly visible? Wait — “Friday” isn’t in the grid! But wait, "begins" is there:
Row 1: `w h i s t l e b e g i n s` → yes, "begins" is there.

But "Friday" is not in the grid. However, the clue says “the day after Thursday is Friday,” so the answer must be Friday, even if it’s not in the grid.

Wait — this suggests a possible issue. Let's double-check.

Actually, looking at the top of the page, the words listed are:

> single Friday begins
> sometimes seconds
> whistle open
> women team
> behind return
> square weather
> title score
> shake ticket
> television shout

So all the answers are among these words, and they should all be present in the grid.

Let’s scan for Friday:

Is “Friday” in the grid?

No. But look: the word "Friday" is given as a word to use — maybe it's not in the grid? That would be odd.

Wait — perhaps it's a typo or misprint. Let’s see if any word could be mistaken.

Wait — no, “Friday” is clearly not in the grid. But “begins” is there.

But clue 1 asks for the day after Thursday — which is Friday — and “Friday” is listed as a word.

But it’s not in the grid.

Let’s recheck the grid carefully.

Look at row 1:
`w h i s t l e b e g i n s` → "whistle", "begins"

Row 2: `e s e c o n d s h r t n e` → "seconds"

Row 3: `a q o p e n t i c k e t v` → "open", "ticket"

Row 4: `t u s m b e b o s h a k e` → "shake"

Row 5: `h a f t e l e v i s i o n` → "television"

Row 6: `e r e r h t e a m t r g h` → "team"

Row 7: `r e s t i t i l e r g s` → "rest", "title"? → "title" is in row 7: positions 4–7: t i t l e → yes!

Row 8: `a w c o n d b m q u e y i` → "cond" — no "return"? Wait, "return" is in row 9: `p r o u d e a r e t u r n` → "return" starts at position 7: r e t u r n → yes.

Row 10: `f i r m e s s y l s a y g` → "firm", "ess", etc.

Row 11: `e p e u e s h o u t e j l` → "shout" — yes: positions 6–10: s h o u t

Row 12: `s t w i n n i n g o u a e` → "winning" — yes: positions 3–9: w i n n i n g

Now, what about "Friday"?

It’s not in the grid.

But it’s listed as a word at the top.

And clue 1 requires “Friday”.

But "Friday" is not in the grid.

However, "begins" is in the grid — and it’s used in clue 13.

Wait — maybe the word list includes words that are not necessarily in the grid, but the clues are just vocabulary-based?

But the format is typical of a word search where the words are in the grid.

Wait — perhaps “Friday” is meant to be “begins”? No — that doesn’t make sense.

Alternatively, could “Friday” be hidden?

Let’s search for “Friday” in the grid.

F-R-I-D-A-Y

Check rows:

Row 1: w h i s t l e b e g i n s → no F

Row 2: e s e c o n d s h r t n e → has F? No

Row 3: a q o p e n t i c k e t v → no F

Row 4: t u s m b e b o s h a k e → no F

Row 5: h a f t e l e v i s i o n → has F at position 3: f → then t, e, l... no R

Row 6: e r e r h t e a m t r g h → has R, E, T, H — no F

Row 7: r e s t i t i l e r g s → R, E, S, T, I, T, I, L, E — no F

Row 8: a w c o n d b m q u e y i → no F

Row 9: p r o u d e a r e t u r n → D, E, A, R, E, T, U, R, N — no F

Row 10: f i r m e s s y l s a y g → F at start! Then I, R, M...

So: F, I, R, M → “firm”, not “Friday”

Row 11: e p e u e s h o u t e j l → no F

Row 12: s t w i n n i n g o u a e → no F

So "Friday" is not in the grid.

But it’s listed as a word.

Possibility: It’s a mistake in the puzzle — or perhaps the word "Friday" is intended to be used in the clues, but not in the grid?

But that contradicts the purpose of a word search.

Alternatively, maybe the word "begins" is used for clue 1?

No — clue 1 is “day after Thursday” → Friday

But “Friday” is not in the grid.

Wait — unless the word is “begins” and it’s a typo?

No.

Another idea: Maybe the word “Friday” is hidden diagonally?

Let’s try to find “Friday”:

F → appears in row 10, col 1: F

Then R → row 10, col 2: I → no R

R is in row 10, col 3: R → yes

So F at (10,1), R at (10,3) — not adjacent.

No way to get “Friday” in sequence.

Therefore, “Friday” is not in the grid, but it’s listed as a word.

This suggests either:

- A typo in the puzzle (maybe it should be “Saturday”? But no — day after Thursday is Friday)

- Or the word list includes extra words not in the grid.

But the clues require “Friday” for clue 1.

So, despite it not being in the grid, the answer to clue 1 is still “Friday”, because it's the correct word.

Similarly, “begins” is in the grid — used for clue 13.

So likely, the word list includes both words that are in the grid and some that are not — but the clues are based on vocabulary.

Alternatively, maybe “Friday” is supposed to be “begins”? No — that doesn’t make sense.

Wait — perhaps the word “Friday” is not needed in the grid, but is just part of the word bank?

Yes — that’s possible. Some puzzles give extra words.

But in this case, only 21 clues, and 21 words listed.

List of words:
1. single
2. Friday
3. begins
4. sometimes
5. seconds
6. whistle
7. open
8. women
9. seven
10. team
11. behind
12. return
13. square
14. winning
15. weather
16. title
17. shake
18. score
19. ticket
20. television
21. shout

That’s 21 words.

And 21 clues.

So each word is used once.

But “Friday” is not in the grid.

Unless… is “Friday” hidden?

Let me try to search again.

Perhaps it's written backwards?

Try reverse: YADIRF

No.

Or diagonal?

Start at (1,1): w, h, i, s, t, l, e, b, e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,2): h, i, s, t, l, e, b, e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,3): i, s, t, l, e, b, e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,4): s, t, l, e, b, e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,5): t, l, e, b, e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,6): l, e, b, e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,7): e, b, e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,8): b, e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,9): e, g, i, n, s → no

(1,10): g, i, n, s → no

(1,11): i, n, s → no

(1,12): n, s → no

No “Friday” anywhere.

But “begins” is in row 1.

So perhaps the word “Friday” is a mistake?

Wait — another possibility: maybe the word “Friday” is meant to be “begins” for clue 1?

No — clue 1 is “day after Thursday” → Friday.

Unless the puzzle is flawed.

But let’s assume the clues are correct, and the word list is correct.

Perhaps “Friday” is in the grid, but we’re missing it.

Wait — look at row 12: `s t w i n n i n g o u a e`

Doesn’t help.

Wait — what about “Friday” being split?

No.

Alternatively, maybe the word is “begins” and the clue is wrong?

No — clue 1 is clear.

Wait — perhaps “Friday” is not needed for the grid, but is used in the clues — meaning the puzzle allows using words from the list even if not in the grid?

But that defeats the purpose.

Alternatively, maybe the word “Friday” is actually “begins” — but that doesn’t make sense.

Wait — look at the first row:

`w h i s t l e b e g i n s`

So “whistle” and “begins” are both in row 1.

But “Friday” is not.

So unless there’s a typo in the word list — perhaps it should be “begin” instead of “Friday”?

No — “begins” is already there.

Wait — maybe the word “Friday” is not in the grid, but is included in the word bank by mistake.

But clue 1 requires it.

So, despite not being in the grid, we must use “Friday” for clue 1.

Similarly, all other words are in the grid.

Let’s confirm:

- single: Is it in the grid?
Look: “single” — S-I-N-G-L-E
Check row 10: f i r m e s s y l s a y g → has “s” and “l”, but not “single”
Row 12: s t w i n n i n g o u a e → has “s”, “i”, “n”, “g” — but not “single”
Row 11: e p e u e s h o u t e j l → has “s”, “h”, “o”, “u”, “t” — no
Row 6: e r e r h t e a m t r g h → no
Row 5: h a f t e l e v i s i o n → has “s”, “i”, “o”, “n” — but not “single”
Row 4: t u s m b e b o s h a k e → has “s” — but no “ingle”
So “single” is not in the grid?

Wait — that’s a problem.

But clue 6: “_______ means only one.” → single

So “single” must be an answer.

But is it in the grid?

Let’s look:
S-I-N-G-L-E

Check row 12: s t w i n n i n g o u a e → s, t, w, i, n, n, i, n, g, o, u, a, e

Has “s”, “i”, “n”, “g” — but not “l” and “e” together.

Row 11: e p e u e s h o u t e j l → has “l” at end, but no “single”

Row 9: p r o u d e a r e t u r n → no

Row 8: a w c o n d b m q u e y i → no

Row 7: r e s t i t i l e r g s → has “s”, “t”, “i”, “l”, “e” — but not “single”

Row 6: e r e r h t e a m t r g h → no

Row 5: h a f t e l e v i s i o n → has “l”, “e”, “v”, “i”, “s”, “i”, “o”, “n” — but “single” not there

Row 4: t u s m b e b o s h a k e → “s”, “h”, “a”, “k”, “e” — no

Row 3: a q o p e n t i c k e t v → “p”, “e”, “n”, “t”, “i”, “c”, “k”, “e”, “t” — no

Row 2: e s e c o n d s h r t n e → “e”, “s”, “e”, “c”, “o”, “n”, “d”, “s”, “h”, “r”, “t”, “n”, “e” — has “s”, “e”, “c”, “o”, “n”, “d”, “s” — but not “single”

Row 1: w h i s t l e b e g i n s → “w”, “h”, “i”, “s”, “t”, “l”, “e”, “b”, “e”, “g”, “i”, “n”, “s” — has “s”, “i”, “n”, “g”, “l”, “e” — but not in order

“single”: S-I-N-G-L-E

In row 1: positions:
1: w
2: h
3: i
4: s
5: t
6: l
7: e
8: b
9: e
10: g
11: i
12: n
13: s

So:
- S at pos 4
- I at pos 3
- N at pos 12
- G at pos 10
- L at pos 6
- E at pos 7

Not in order.

So “single” is not in the grid.

But it’s in the word list.

Same issue.

Wait — perhaps the word is “single” but hidden diagonally?

Try:
Start at (1,4): s
Then down-right: (2,5): e — no
Down-left: (2,3): o — no

Not working.

So it seems that some words in the list are not in the grid, but are required for clues.

This suggests that the word search is secondary, and the main task is to fill in the blanks using the word bank.

So even if a word isn’t in the grid, if it’s in the word bank and fits the clue, use it.

Therefore, despite not being in the grid, we can use:

- Friday for clue 1
- single for clue 6
- etc.

And the word search might be incomplete or have errors.

But let’s check if “single” is in the grid.

Wait — look at row 12: `s t w i n n i n g o u a e`

No.

But look at row 10: `f i r m e s s y l s a y g`

No.

Wait — perhaps “single” is not in the grid, but “begins” is.

But “begins” is used in clue 13.

So the word list may include words not in the grid.

Given that, and since the clues are clear, we proceed.

---

Final Answer Key:

| Clue | Answer |
|------|------------|
| 1 | Friday |
| 2 | open |
| 3 | television |
| 4 | return |
| 5 | ticket |
| 6 | single |
| 7 | shake |
| 8 | women |
| 9 | shout |
| 10 | seconds |
| 11 | score |
| 12 | behind |
| 13 | begins |
| 14 | square |
| 15 | winning |
| 16 | whistle |
| 17 | sometimes |
| 18 | seven |
| 19 | weather |
| 20 | team |
| 21 | title |

---

Summary

Even though some words like “Friday” and “single” are not visibly in the grid, they are required for the clues and are listed in the word bank. The puzzle likely intends for students to use the word bank to fill in the blanks, with the grid serving as a visual aid (though possibly with inconsistencies).

✔ All clues are answered correctly using the provided word list.

Final Answer:

1. Friday
2. open
3. television
4. return
5. ticket
6. single
7. shake
8. women
9. shout
10. seconds
11. score
12. behind
13. begins
14. square
15. winning
16. whistle
17. sometimes
18. seven
19. weather
20. team
21. title