Scavenger Hunt Clues for Adults and Teens

Riddles with double meanings and a little wordplay, for players who would finish an easy hunt in five minutes. Every answer is a place in an ordinary home.

Make printable cards from these clues

Opens the card maker with all 16 clues filled in (, 32 points in all). Edit any card, choose a find-it list or a clue trail, set the number of teams and print the cards and answer key.

These clues describe ordinary things sideways: the thermostat that never feels the temperature, the junk drawer every home has, the bathroom's other name. Each card carries 1 to 3 points and the whole set is worth 32 points; the answer key lists every card's points and the total, and the host keeps each team's score.

The 16 clues and answers

#	Clue	Answer	Points
1	I decide whether the house is warm or cold, yet I never feel a thing.	Thermostat	2
2	My heart is cold, my door has a light, and I am the first stop for a midnight bite.	Fridge	1
3	Beans go in, hot water goes through, and the whole house wakes up because of me.	Coffee maker	2
4	Rubber bands, takeout menus, dead batteries and one mystery key: every home has one of me.	Junk drawer	3
5	I drink but never eat and grow but never walk. Of all the plants here, I am the tallest.	Tallest houseplant	2
6	I scrub the plates and soak up the mess. Squeeze me dry and look where I rest.	Sponge by the sink	2
7	I keep the family’s secrets: birthdays, dentist visits and which day is trash day.	Wall calendar	2
8	I am full of recipes but have never tasted a thing. Look between my pages.	Cookbook	2
9	Rest is in my other name, but nobody sleeps in me. Look on my door.	Bathroom door	2
10	Pepper, paprika and cinnamon line up on me in little jars.	Spice rack	2
11	You take me every time you leave, and I am the reason you can get back in. Look where I hang.	Key hook	2
12	Cans, bottles and cardboard wait in me for a second life.	Recycling bin	2
13	I eat dinner after you do, then wash it all down with hot water.	Dishwasher	2
14	I see every face that leaves the house but remember none of them. I hang by the front door.	Mirror by the front door	2
15	Dice, cards and boxes of rules wait on me for game night.	Board game shelf	2
16	I hold a whole row of hangers but never get dressed.	Bedroom closet	2

Making a hunt challenging

Use a clue trail. Players cannot see the next clue until they solve the current one, so the hard clues cannot be skipped.
Race teams. Two to four teams start at different stops of the same loop; the first to report every answer to the host wins, or the host awards each card's points to whichever team reports it first.
Allow one hint per team. Keep the printed answer key with the host and let each team buy a hint for a point.
Swap in your own. Inside jokes and family history make the best hard clues: load the set and rewrite a few cards.

How the printable cards work

Loading this set gives you one numbered player card per clue and a separate answer key. Played as a clue trail, the key adds a hiding list for the places; played as a find-it list, each team can print a tick-box checklist instead. Nothing is uploaded: the hunt is saved in your browser.

Planning the hunt

Office Scavenger Hunt: Team-Building Clues and a Run Sheet for 10 to 60 Coworkers: 16 clues about places every office has, team splits and start cards for 10, 30 and 60 people, a 45-minute run sheet and a remote list.
Bachelorette Scavenger Hunt: A Bar-Crawl-Free List and Clue Cards for the Bride’s Team: A 16-item city photo list with points and consent rules, and a 10-stop rental-house trail that ends at a gift for the bride.
Birthday Scavenger Hunt: Clue Paths for Kids, Teens and Adults That End at the Present: Three ready trails (8, 9 and 10 cards) that finish at the gift, and how to write the personal clues adults remember.

Questions

What makes a scavenger hunt clue hard?

A clue that describes the place indirectly, by what it never does or by another name for it, rather than by what it is used for.

Are these clues suitable for a work party?

They are written about ordinary household objects; for an office, rewrite the answers to places in your building.

How do points work?

Each card has 1 to 3 points. The answer key lists every card's points and the total; the host keeps each team's score.

Can teens use the kids clues instead?

They can, but the kids set is written for young children. This set is written for teens and adults.

More clue sets

Indoor Scavenger Hunt Clues16 clues · I am cold inside and bright when you peek. I keep the milk fresh for most of the week.Outdoor Scavenger Hunt Clues16 clues · We sit outside in summer, all around one table. Look under the chair nearest the house.Scavenger Hunt Clues for Kids16 clues · Time for bed! Look under the pillow where you rest your head.Christmas Scavenger Hunt Clues32 clues · I stand in the corner every December and hold up the shiny things. Look at the back of my stand, on the floor, away from the lights.Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt24 clues · Coats pile up on me when the guests arrive. Look under the top jacket.

All sets on one page: scavenger hunt clues with answers.