Fifth grade is the perfect time to mix fun with brainpower, and nothing does it better than a great riddle.
This massive collection of 1600+ riddles for 5th graders is designed to keep kids entertained, challenged, and learning all at once.
From laugh-out-loud jokes to tricky puzzles that test their logic, these riddles spark curiosity and encourage creative thinking.
Perfect for classroom activities, family game nights, or friendly competitions, each riddle comes with an answer so no one stays stuck for long. Get ready to see smiles, hear giggles, and watch problem-solving skills soar!
Math Riddles for 5th Graders
🧮 What has numbers but can’t count? A calculator with no battery!
🧠 I’m a number. Multiply me by any other number, and the answer is always the same. What am I?
➗ What comes after 2, 3, 5, 7, 11?
🔢 What three numbers give the same result when added and multiplied?
💯 I am a century minus a dozen. What number am I?
🧩 Divide 30 by half and add 10. What’s the answer?
🧾 I add five to nine and get two. How?
🧠 I am a number less than 20, odd, and the sum of my digits is 6. What am I?
🧮 Two fathers and two sons sat down to eat 3 eggs. Each ate one. How?
📐 What has a shape but no sides, a center but no edges?
🧠 I’m a number that ends in 5 and is a multiple of 3 and 5. What am I?
🔍 What increases when it is shared but decreases when you subtract it?
💡 How many sides does a circle have?
🧾 If there are four apples and you take away three, how many do you have?
📊 I’m more than 40 but less than 50, and my digits add to 9. What number am I?
📏 I’m flat as a board but used to measure. What am I?
🧠 What number is odd, a multiple of 3, and between 20 and 30?
Riddles for 5th Graders Hard
🧠 I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. What am I?
🧩 The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
🕵️ I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. What am I?
🔦 I come out at night without being called. I’m lost in the day without being stolen. What am I?
🧳 Forward I’m heavy, but backward I’m not. What am I?
🌫️ The more of me you take, the bigger I become. What am I?
🧱 What can fill a room but takes up no space?
🔍 What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
🧠 I am always in front of you but can’t be seen. What am I?
💤 I shrink smaller every time I take a bath. What am I?
🧊 I have no life, but I grow. I don’t have lungs, but I need air. What am I?
🪞 What has one eye but can’t see?
🧠 What begins and ends with an E but has only one letter in it?
🎭 The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
🧩 What has hands but can’t clap?
🔐 I’m not alive, but I can die if you forget me. What am I?
🚪 The more doors I open, the smaller I become. What am I?
Fun Riddles for 5th Graders
😂 What has ears but cannot hear?
🎈 What goes up but never comes down?
🐱 What has whiskers and purrs, but never barks?
🍕 What kind of room has no doors or windows?
🎨 I’m full of colors but can’t be seen in the dark. What am I?
🐔 Why did the chicken cross the playground?
🧦 What gets wetter the more it dries?
🎩 What has a head, a tail, but no body?
🐍 What has no legs but can slither?
🍦 What’s cold, sweet, and melts when you hug it?
👟 What runs but never walks?
🕶️ What gets brighter the more you cover it?
🐶 What kind of dog never bites or barks?
🎤 I make noise without a mouth and music without hands. What am I?
📦 What can be broken but is never held?
🌈 What comes after rain and colors the sky?
🎁 What’s always given but never taken?
Riddles for 5th Graders with Answers
🤔 I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I? (A candle)
💧 I have rivers but no water, cities but no buildings. What am I? (A map)
🎲 What has to be broken before you can use it? (An egg)
📦 What is full of holes but still holds water? (A sponge)
🌬️ What can you catch but not throw? (A cold)
🧤 The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they? (Footsteps)
⏰ What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? (The letter M)
🪞 I have a face and two hands but no arms or legs. What am I? (A clock)
🎩 What has a neck but no head? (A bottle)
🍴 What has teeth but cannot eat? (A comb)
🧠 What has many keys but can’t open a door? (A piano)
👂 What has one eye but can’t see? (A needle)
📬 What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it? (A teapot)
🎁 What gets bigger the more you take away? (A hole)
🍞 What kind of band never plays music? (A rubber band)
🐾 What has four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night? (A human)
🧊 What goes in hard and comes out soft and sticky? (Chewing gum)
Riddles for 5th Graders PDF
🖨️ Downloadable collections of these riddles in a printable PDF! Here’s a sneak peek:
📄 What travels the world while staying in one spot?
📄 What belongs to you but is used more by others?
📄 What gets sharper the more you use it?
📄 What kind of cup doesn’t hold water?
📄 I fly without wings. I cry without eyes. What am I?
📄 What begins with P, ends with E, and has thousands of letters?
📄 What comes down but never goes up?
📄 What grows down instead of up?
📄 What’s black and white and read all over?
📄 What has stripes and roars?
📄 What has 88 keys but no locks?
📄 What flies but has no feathers?
📄 What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
📄 I go in hard, come out soft, and am never the same again. What am I?
📄 I live in your house, but if you touch me, I’ll scream. What am I?
📄 What do you throw out when you want to use it and take in when you don’t?
📄 What comes after lunch but before dinner?
Science Riddles for 5th Graders
🧪 What planet is known as the Red Planet?
🌬️ What can’t be seen but can knock down trees?
🔥 I’m hot, bright, and far away. What am I?
🌕 I control the tides, shine at night, and change shape. What am I?
💧 I fall from clouds but never go up. What am I?
🧲 I attract certain metals. What am I?
🦴 What part of the body is stronger than steel?
🦠 I’m so small, you need a microscope to see me. What am I?
🌍 I spin around once every 24 hours. What am I?
🌪️ I twist, spin, and destroy, yet I’m made of air. What am I?
💡 I light up when you flick a switch. What am I?
🧬 I carry traits from your parents. What am I?
🪐 I’m the biggest planet in our solar system. What am I?
🌡️ I measure how hot or cold things are. What am I?
⚡ I travel at the speed of light and power your devices. What am I?
🚀 I take off into space and help explore the stars. What am I?
🧠 I’m a thinking machine in your head. What am I?
Logic Riddles for 5th Graders
🧠 What has two hands and a face but no arms or legs?
🔐 What can be opened but never closed again?
💭 What has one voice but becomes four-legged, two-legged, and three-legged?
🪞 The more you look at me, the less you see. What am I?
📦 What can be cracked, made, told, and played?
🎭 What can travel around the world while staying in one place?
🕳️ The more you take away, the bigger I get. What am I?
🧩 What word is spelled incorrectly in every dictionary?
🎈 What comes down but never goes up?
📬 What’s full of letters but not an alphabet?
🧪 What has a head, a tail, but no body?
🔐 What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
🧱 What’s heavy forward but not backward?
🎲 What gets sharper the more you use it?
📖 What word starts with an E, ends with an E, and has only one letter?
🕵️ What’s seen in the middle of March and April but not at the beginning or end?
🚶 You see me once in June, twice in November, but not at all in May. What am I?
Christmas Riddles for 5th Graders
🎅 What do you call Santa when he takes a break?
⛄ What has a carrot nose and coal eyes?
🎁 What do elves use to take notes?
🦌 What do reindeer say before they tell a joke?
🍪 What kind of ball doesn’t bounce but is sweet to eat?
🎄 What has lights but doesn’t shine on its own?
❄️ What falls but never gets hurt?
🔔 What jingles but isn’t a song?
🎁 What comes once a year and brings joy to all?
🎅 Who delivers presents but never speaks?
🧦 Where do stockings go when they’re done hanging?
☃️ What melts but used to smile?
🧁 What do you get when you cross a snowman and a dog?
🛷 What travels on snow but doesn’t leave footprints?
🔔 What rings only in December?
🍬 What’s white, red, and twisted all over?
🧤 What do you wear in winter but never in summer?
Conclusion
Riddles are a great way to spark curiosity, enhance logic, and make learning more engaging for 5th graders. Whether it’s solving tricky puzzles in math class, laughing at fun holiday jokes, or exploring science in a playful way, each riddle helps children think creatively and enjoy the process. Use them in class, at home, or print out a PDF for travel and games!
Meta Description:
Discover fun, tricky, and educational riddles for 5th graders covering math, science, logic, holidays, and more — all with answers included!
