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

Let's solve each riddle step by step and match them with the corresponding pictures.

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Riddle 1:

What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?

- Solution: A river.
- A river "runs" (flows), has a "mouth" (where it meets the sea or another body of water), has a "head" (source), and has a "bed" (riverbed), but it doesn't walk, talk, weep, or sleep.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the river.

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Riddle 2:

What has teeth but doesn’t bite?

- Solution: A comb.
- A comb has "teeth" (the prongs), but it doesn't bite.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the comb.

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Riddle 3:

It doesn’t matter how little or how much I am used, you change me every month. What am I?

- Solution: A calendar.
- A calendar is changed monthly to show the new month, regardless of how much or little it is used.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the calendar.

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Riddle 4:

What is served but never eaten?

- Solution: A tennis ball.
- A tennis ball is "served" in a game of tennis but is not eaten.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the tennis ball.

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Riddle 5:

What has wheels and flies, but it is not a kind of aircraft?

- Solution: A garbage truck.
- A garbage truck has wheels and "flies" (moves) on roads, but it is not an aircraft.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the garbage truck.

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Riddle 6:

What has to be broken before it can be used?

- Solution: An egg.
- An egg must be cracked open before its contents can be used.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the egg.

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Riddle 7:

I am not alive, but I grow. I need air but I don’t have lungs. What am I?

- Solution: Fire.
- Fire grows (spreads) and needs oxygen from the air to burn, but it is not alive and doesn't have lungs.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the fire.

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Riddle 8:

What comes down but never goes up?

- Solution: Rain.
- Rain falls from the sky but does not rise back up.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the rain cloud.

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Riddle 9:

What has a head and a tail but no body?

- Solution: A coin.
- A coin has a "head" (one side) and a "tail" (the other side) but no body.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the coin (not explicitly shown, but this is the answer).

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Riddle 10:

What never becomes wetter the more it rains?

- Solution: An umbrella.
- An umbrella protects you from rain and doesn't get wetter as it rains more.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the umbrella (not explicitly shown, but this is the answer).

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Riddle 11:

When I come up, we go. When I go down, we stay. What am I?

- Solution: An anchor.
- When the anchor is raised ("comes up"), the ship can move. When it is lowered ("goes down"), the ship stays in place.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the anchor.

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Riddle 12:

What has been around for millions of years but is never more than a month old?

- Solution: The moon.
- The moon has existed for millions of years, but each lunar phase (e.g., new moon, full moon) lasts only about a month.
- Matching Picture: The picture of the moon.

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Final Answer:

Here are the solutions matched with the pictures:

1. River → Picture of the river
2. Comb → Picture of the comb
3. Calendar → Picture of the calendar
4. Tennis ball → Picture of the tennis ball
5. Garbage truck → Picture of the garbage truck
6. Egg → Picture of the egg
7. Fire → Picture of the fire
8. Rain → Picture of the rain cloud
9. Coin → Not explicitly shown, but the answer is a coin.
10. Umbrella → Not explicitly shown, but the answer is an umbrella.
11. Anchor → Picture of the anchor
12. Moon → Picture of the moon

Boxed Final Answer:
\[
\boxed{
\begin{array}{ll}
1. \text{River} & \text{(Picture of the river)} \\
2. \text{Comb} & \text{(Picture of the comb)} \\
3. \text{Calendar} & \text{(Picture of the calendar)} \\
4. \text{Tennis ball} & \text{(Picture of the tennis ball)} \\
5. \text{Garbage truck} & \text{(Picture of the garbage truck)} \\
6. \text{Egg} & \text{(Picture of the egg)} \\
7. \text{Fire} & \text{(Picture of the fire)} \\
8. \text{Rain} & \text{(Picture of the rain cloud)} \\
9. \text{Coin} & \text{(Not explicitly shown)} \\
10. \text{Umbrella} & \text{(Not explicitly shown)} \\
11. \text{Anchor} & \text{(Picture of the anchor)} \\
12. \text{Moon} & \text{(Picture of the moon)}
\end{array}
}
\]