Double Meanings and Puns
I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?
A joke. The pun here relies on the different meanings of the word "cracked" (as in solved or laughed at), "made" (created), "told" (recounted), and "played" (joked with).
A man looks at a painting in a museum and says, "Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man's father is my father's son." Who is in the painting?
The man's son.
I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?
Seven
Built for a king, my body guards him in death, not in life. I stand tall, pointing to the skies, yet I am not alive. What am I?
A pyramid
I am the beginning of the end, the end of every place. I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space. What am I?
The letter "E."
The more I consume, the brighter I become. The brighter I become, the shorter my life. What am I?
A lightbulb. It consumes electricity to shine, and the brighter it shines, the faster it burns out.
What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and rivers, but no water?
A map
If two's company, and three's a crowd, what are four and five?
Nine (4 + 5 = 9)
My body is ancient, my head is new, and I am a symbol of liberty too. What am I?
The Statue of Liberty (given its ancient symbolism and relatively newer construction).
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light.
I am not alive, but I grow; I don't have lungs, but I need air; I don't have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?
Fire. The pun here is on the characteristics of fire described in a way that could also fit a living organism, but the twist is in its non-living nature.
Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
The word "ton."
What three positive numbers give the same result when multiplied and added together?
1, 2, and 3 (1+2+3 = 6 and 1×2×3 = 6).
Once a means to mark the heavens, now I draw crowds from all around. Ancient builders aligned my stones; their purpose profound, yet not entirely known. What am I?
Stonehenge (an ancient structure believed to have been used to observe astronomical events).
What has a heart that doesn’t beat?
An artichoke.
I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?
An echo. This riddle plays on the personification of an echo, which "speaks" and "hears" but is merely a sound reflection.
You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why?
All the people were married.
How many times can you subtract 10 from 100?
Once. After you subtract it the first time, you're no longer subtracting from 100.
I am the silent witness of a great love story, standing tall for centuries. My beauty inspired a poet, yet I am not a work of art. What am I?
The Taj Mahal (built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and praised by poets).
A cowboy rides into town on Monday. He stayed in town for two days and left on Monday. How was that possible?
The name of the cowboy’s horse is Monday
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter "M." This riddle plays with the frequency of the letter "M" in the spelling of "minute," "moment," and "thousand years."
A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for five minutes. Next, she hangs him. Right after, they enjoy a lovely dinner. How is this possible?
She took a photo of him ("shoots" with a camera), developed it in a dark room (the "water" and "hanging" refer to photo processing), and they ate dinner together.
I add five to nine, and get two. The correct answer is not fourteen. How is this possible?
The time is 9 o'clock. Add 5 hours to 9 o'clock and you get 2 o'clock.
Crafted in an ancient city, I am a testament to love and beauty, now found in a city of lights. What am I?
The Venus de Milo (ancient Greek statue found in Paris, the City of Light).
A person approaches a secret club and hears a voice say "twelve." They respond with "six" and are let in. Another person arrives, hears "six," replies with "three," and also gains entry. The third person hears "ten," says "five," but is denied. What should they have said to get in?
The answer is "three." The trick is counting the letters in the number. "Ten" has three letters.