Free printable riddles with answers worksheets - ESL Vault - Free Printable

Let’s go through each riddle one by one and think carefully to find the answer.

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Riddle 1:
*The one who makes it, sells me. The one who buys me, never uses me. The one that uses me never knows that he’s using me.*
→ Who makes a coffin? A carpenter or funeral director — they sell it.
→ Who buys it? Usually family of the deceased — they don’t use it themselves.
→ Who uses it? The person in it — but they’re dead, so they don’t know they’re using it.
✔ Answer: A coffin

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Riddle 2:
*What can you hold in your left hand but never hold in your right?*
→ Think literally: What part of your body can your left hand grab… but your right hand can’t?
→ Your right elbow! You can touch your right elbow with your left hand, but not with your right hand (try it!).
✔ Answer: Your right elbow

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Riddle 3:
*I come from underground and get surrounded by wood when I come up. Everyone uses me.*
→ Comes from underground → maybe a pencil lead (graphite)?
→ Surrounded by wood → yes, pencils are made of wood around graphite.
→ Everyone uses them → common school supply.
✔ Answer: A pencil

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Riddle 4:
*The more you have of me, the less you see.*
→ If you have more darkness, you see less.
→ Or fog? Smoke? But “darkness” fits best.
✔ Answer: Darkness

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Riddle 5:
*What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs in the evening?*
→ Classic riddle! It’s about stages of life.
→ Morning = baby (crawls on 4 limbs)
→ Noon = adult (walks on 2 legs)
→ Evening = old age (uses cane = 3 legs)
✔ Answer: A human

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Riddle 6:
*I have married many times, but am always single.*
→ Who gets married often but stays unmarried? A priest/minister/officiant! They marry others but stay single themselves.
✔ Answer: A priest (or wedding officiant)

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Riddle 7:
*Which word becomes shorter after you add 2 letters to it?*
→ Add 2 letters to “short” → “shorter”! Wait, that’s adding 3 letters? No — wait:
Actually, the trick is: take the word “short”, add “er” → “shorter”. But “shorter” means more short? That doesn’t make sense.
Wait — think differently:
Add 2 letters to the word “short” → you get “shorter”, which is a longer word, but the *meaning* is “more short”? Not quite.
Ah! Here’s the real trick:
Take the word “short” — if you add the letters “e” and “r” to the end, you get “shorter” — which literally means “more short”, so the *concept* becomes “shorter”.
But actually, the classic answer is:
Add “er” to “short” → “shorter” — and “shorter” is the comparative form meaning “more short”. So the word itself gets longer, but its meaning refers to being shorter.
Wait — no, let’s re-read: “becomes shorter” — could mean the word’s length decreases? Impossible if you add letters.
Unless... it’s a play on words.
Classic answer: The word is “short”. Add “er” → “shorter”. Now, “shorter” describes something that is more short — so the thing described becomes shorter. But the question says “which word becomes shorter” — meaning the word itself?
Actually, the correct classic answer is:
“Short” — because when you add “er”, you get “shorter”, which is a word that means “more short” — so conceptually, it represents something shorter.
But there’s another version:
Some say the word is “long” — add “er” → “longer” — which is opposite.
Wait — here’s the real trick:
The word is “short”. When you add two letters (“e” and “r”), you get “shorter” — and “shorter” is an adjective that means “having less length”. So the *meaning* implies shortness increased.
But perhaps the intended answer is simpler:
Actually, the most accepted answer is:
👉 “Short” — because adding “er” makes it “shorter”, which is the comparative form implying reduced length.
But let’s check online logic — this is a famous riddle.
Correct answer: “Short” — because when you add “er”, you get “shorter”, which means “more short” — so the quality becomes shorter.
Alternatively, some say:
Add “t” and “h” to “is” → “this” — no.
Wait — another possibility:
The word “shore” — add “t” and “n” → “shorten”? Too many letters.
I think we’re overcomplicating.
Standard answer for this riddle:
✔ Answer: Short (because adding “er” makes it “shorter”, which means more short)

But wait — let me double-check:
There’s a better answer:
The word is “long” — add “er” → “longer” — which is opposite.
No.
Another idea:
The word “brief” — add “er” → “briefer” — again, same issue.
Actually, the true classic answer is:
👉 “Short” — because the word “short” becomes “shorter” when you add two letters, and “shorter” means having less length — so the concept becomes shorter.
Yes, that’s it.
✔ Final Answer for #7: Short

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Riddle 8:
*What do letter T and islands have in common?*
→ Think phonetically: “T” sounds like “tea”. Islands are in the sea (“sea” sounds like “C”).
Wait — “T” is in the middle of “water”? No.
Islands are surrounded by water. Letter “T” — where is it? In the word “island”? No.
Think: “T” is in the middle of “what”?
Actually, the pun is:
“T” is in the middle of “water” — and islands are in the middle of water.
So both are “in the middle of water”.
✔ Answer: They are both in the middle of water (T is in “water”, islands are in bodies of water)

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Riddle 9:
*Who can shave everyday but always have a beard in the morning?*
→ Someone whose job is to shave other people — like a barber. He shaves customers every day, but his own beard grows back overnight.
✔ Answer: A barber

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Riddle 10:
*What has six feet, two mouths, and four ears?*
→ Think of creatures or objects. Six feet = three animals? Two mouths = two heads? Four ears = two pairs?
Maybe it’s describing two people riding a horse?
Two people = 4 legs + horse = 4 legs → total 8 legs? No.
Wait — “feet” might not mean animal feet — could be furniture?
Or — think of a centaur? Mythical.
Another idea:
Two people sitting on a bench? Bench has 4 legs, people have 4 feet → total 8? No.
Wait — what if it’s two dogs and a cat? Dogs have 4 feet each, cat has 4 → too many.
Perhaps it’s a riddle playing on words:
“Six feet” = measurement? Like a grave? But then mouths and ears?
Wait — think of a musical instrument? No.
Another approach:
What has “mouths”? Rivers have mouths. Ears? Corn has ears. Feet? Mountains have feet?
Too abstract.
Let’s try:
Two people and a dog? People: 2 mouths, 4 ears, 4 feet; Dog: 1 mouth, 2 ears, 4 feet → total: 3 mouths, 6 ears, 8 feet — no.
Wait — what if it’s two snakes and a bird? Snakes have no feet, birds have 2.
Not working.
Perhaps it’s a typo or misremembered riddle.
Wait — I recall a similar riddle:
“What has 4 legs in the morning, 2 at noon, 3 in evening?” — already did that.
Another thought:
Maybe it’s “two men and a horse” — but horse has 4 legs, men have 2 each → 8 legs.
Unless “feet” means something else.
Perhaps it’s a bed? Bed has 4 legs, but no mouths or ears.
Wait — what about a piano? Has pedals (“feet”), keys (“teeth”?), no.
Let’s search memory:
Ah! There’s a riddle: “What has 6 legs, 2 heads, 4 eyes, 2 tails?” — answer: two riders on a horse.
But here it’s 6 feet, 2 mouths, 4 ears.
If two people ride a horse:
People: 2 mouths, 4 ears, 4 feet
Horse: 1 mouth? Horses have one mouth. 2 ears, 4 feet
Total: 3 mouths, 6 ears, 8 feet — still not matching.
Unless “mouths” includes the horse’s mouth? Still 3.
Perhaps it’s two people and no horse — but then only 4 feet.
Wait — what if “feet” refers to units of measurement? Like a table that is 6 feet long? But then mouths and ears?
This is tricky.
Another idea:
In some cultures, “feet” can mean base of something.
Perhaps it’s a statue or something.
Wait — let’s consider:
What if it’s “two centipedes”? Centipedes have many legs, but not specifically 6.
Perhaps it’s a misprint, and it’s supposed to be “six legs” instead of “six feet”.
Assume that:
Six legs = insect? But insects have 6 legs, 1 mouth, 2 antennae (not ears).
Not matching.
Wait — here’s a possible answer:
Two people sitting on a three-legged stool?
People: 4 feet, 2 mouths, 4 ears
Stool: 3 legs — but “feet” might refer to stool legs? Then total “feet” = 4 (people) + 3 (stool) = 7 — close but not 6.
If stool has 2 legs? Unstable.
Perhaps it’s a dog and a person:
Dog: 4 feet, 1 mouth, 2 ears
Person: 2 feet, 1 mouth, 2 ears
Total: 6 feet, 2 mouths, 4 ears — YES!
✔ Answer: A person and a dog

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Riddle 11:
*I often run but I have no legs. I don’t need you but you need me. What am I?*
→ Runs without legs — river? Water runs.
You need water, water doesn’t need you.
Also, clocks “run” but have no legs — but do you need a clock? Maybe.
But “river” fits better: rivers run, have no legs, essential for life.
✔ Answer: A river

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Riddle 12:
*What thing starts with T, ends in T, and has “T” in it?*
→ Starts with T, ends with T, and contains the letter T inside?
Like “teapot”? Starts with T, ends with T, and has T in the middle? Teapot: T-E-A-P-O-T — yes, starts and ends with T, and has T at start and end, but “has T in it” — well, it has T at beginning and end, so technically yes.
But the classic answer is:
👉 “Teapot” — because it starts with T, ends with T, and “has tea in it” — pun on “T” sounding like “tea”.
Oh! That’s the trick!
“Has ‘T’ in it” — sounds like “has tea in it”.
So teapot holds tea.
✔ Answer: A teapot

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Riddle 13:
*What can you put in an empty pocket and it still be empty?*
→ If you put a hole in it? But you can’t put a hole.
Put nothing? But then it’s still empty, but you didn’t put anything.
The trick: Put a hole — but physically impossible.
Another idea: Put air? But air is already there.
Wait — the classic answer is:
👉 A hole — because if you put a hole in a pocket, it’s still empty (since a hole is absence of material).
But that’s philosophical.
More practical:
Put your hand in? But then it’s not empty.
Wait — what if you put “nothing”? But the riddle says “put in”, implying something.
Another thought:
Put a tear? No.
Actually, the standard answer is:
✔ A hole — because a hole is emptiness, so putting a hole in an empty pocket leaves it empty.
But let’s confirm:
Some say “air”, but air is already present.
I think “hole” is the intended answer.
✔ Answer: A hole

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Riddle 14:
*When can you add 2 to 11 and arrive at 1?*
→ Mathematically, 11 + 2 = 13, not 1.
But on a clock: 11 o’clock + 2 hours = 1 o’clock.
✔ Answer: On a clock (11 AM/PM + 2 hours = 1 PM/AM)

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Now, compiling all answers:

1. Coffin
2. Right elbow
3. Pencil
4. Darkness
5. Human
6. Priest (or wedding officiant)
7. Short
8. Both are in the middle of water (T in "water", islands in water)
9. Barber
10. A person and a dog
11. River
12. Teapot
13. Hole
14. On a clock

Final Answer:
1. Coffin
2. Right elbow
3. Pencil
4. Darkness
5. Human
6. Priest
7. Short
8. They are both in the middle of water
9. Barber
10. A person and a dog
11. River
12. Teapot
13. Hole
14. On a clock