Missing number problems – Year 1 maths worksheet with answers to download as PDF

Write the missing number.

1. 3 + ? = 8
2. 5 + ? = 10
3. 7 + ? = 12
4. ? + 4 = 9
5. ? + 6 = 13

Write the missing number.

1. 8 − ? = 3
2. 10 − ? = 6
3. 14 − ? = 9
4. 12 − ? = 4
5. 16 − ? = 10

Write the missing number.

1. ? − 4 = 5
2. ? − 7 = 3
3. ? − 2 = 9
4. ? − 6 = 8
5. ? − 5 = 12

Write the missing number.

1. 9 = 4 + ?
2. 12 = ? + 8
3. 15 = 9 + ?
4. 7 = 10 − ?
5. 5 = ? − 8

The scales are balanced. Write the missing number.

1. 6 + 3 = ?
2. 5 + ? = 4 + 6
3. 8 = 3 + ?

Write the missing number. Each box has the same number.

1. ? + ? = 8
2. ? + ? = 12
3. ? + ? = 18
4. ? + ? = 20

Mia has 6 stickers in her album. She gets some more stickers from her friend. Now she has 14 stickers.

1. Write a missing number sentence for the story.
2. How many stickers did her friend give her?
3. Check your answer with an addition.
4. Mia gives 5 stickers to her cousin. Write a missing number sentence and find the number left.

A café has 15 cups on a tray. A waiter takes some cups away. Now there are 9 cups on the tray.

1. Write a missing number sentence.
2. How many cups did the waiter take away?
3. Check: write an addition to show your answer.
4. He brings back 4 cups. How many are on the tray now?

Omar plays with marbles. He has some marbles in a bag. He puts 7 more marbles in. Now he has 16 marbles.

1. Write a missing number sentence.
2. How many marbles did Omar have to start with?
3. He loses some marbles on the way to school and has 10 left. Write a missing number sentence for the marbles he lost.
4. How many marbles did he lose?

In a football match, the Reds score 8 goals in two games. They scored 5 goals in the first game. The sentence 5 + ? = 8 shows this.

1. How many goals did the Reds score in the second game?
2. The Blues scored 12 goals in two games. They scored 7 goals in the second game. Write a missing number sentence.
3. How many goals did they score in the first game?
4. Which team scored more goals in the first game?

Aisha buys 10 pieces of fruit. She buys some apples and 6 pears. The sentence ? + 6 = 10 shows this.

1. How many apples does Aisha buy?
2. She gives away 3 pears. How many pieces of fruit does she have?
3. Write a missing number sentence to find how many pears are left.
4. How many pears are left?

In the toy shop there are 17 cars on the shelf. Some cars are sold. There are 8 cars left on the shelf.

1. Write a missing number sentence.
2. How many cars were sold?
3. The shop gets some more cars. Now there are 13 cars. Write a missing number sentence.
4. How many cars did the shop get?

Hana is 7 years old today. Her cake has some candles on it. Her mum puts on 3 candles in a pink box and the rest in a blue box. Hana also has a cake for her brother who is 5. His cake has 2 candles in one box and the rest in another.

1. Write a missing number sentence for the 7 candles: 3 + ? = 7.
2. How many candles are in the blue box?
3. Write a missing number sentence for her brother: 2 + ? = 5.
4. How many candles are in the second box for her brother?

Jack has two missing numbers in this puzzle. He must find both. Use what you know about the equals sign.

1. ? + 5 = 9 + 1
2. 6 + 4 = ? + 3
3. 12 − 2 = 4 + ?
4. 7 + 7 = 20 − ?

Lily has some coins in her purse. She finds 4 more coins on the floor. Then she has 11 coins. Her brother says: "That means she had 6 coins at the start." Check what he says.

1. Write a missing number sentence for what Lily did.
2. Work out how many coins Lily had at the start.
3. Is her brother right? Explain.
4. Lily gives 3 coins to her brother. How many does she have left?

Four friends each hold a card. The cards are 6, 5, 8 and 7. They must find a partner so that two cards add to 13.

1. What does 6 need to make 13?
2. What does 5 need to make 13?
3. Who is partner to the 8? And to the 7?
4. Write two missing number sentences that show the pairs.

A baker puts cherries on cakes. One tray has 20 cherries to start. She uses some on the first batch and has 11 cherries left. She uses 5 more on the next batch.

1. Write a missing number sentence for the first batch.
2. How many cherries did she use on the first batch?
3. How many cherries are left after the second batch?
4. How many cherries did she use altogether?

A school library has 20 books on one shelf. Some children take books home. Then 12 books are on the shelf. Later the librarian puts 6 new books on the shelf. A girl says "Now there are more than 20 books on the shelf."

1. Write a missing number sentence for the books taken home.
2. How many books were taken home?
3. How many books are on the shelf after the librarian puts 6 more on?
4. Is the girl right? Explain.

Each box holds a number. Each rule is true. Find all the numbers.

1. A + 3 = 10. What is A?
2. B + A = 12. What is B?
3. C − B = 2. What is C?
4. What is A + B + C?

Zara has these number cards: 2, 5, 7, 9 and 11. She makes sentences of the form ? + ? = 14 with two different cards.

1. Which pairs of cards add up to 14?
2. Why can the 2 and the 11 not make 14?
3. Which cards have no partner?
4. Which two cards give 16? Write the sentence.