Area of a trapezoid worksheets

A trapezoid has two parallel sides of different lengths, so its area averages them and multiplies by the height. These free printable worksheets drill that one figure, cut from the mixed area page.

Area of a trapezoid
Area of a trapezoid worksheet — Parallel sides to 30 cm, free printable with answer key

The answer key prints on a separate page.

What's on this sheet

Splitting the trapezoid off from the triangles and parallelograms it is usually mixed with lets a child settle the three-step formula before choosing between shapes. Add the two parallel sides, halve the total, then multiply by the height — in that order.

Why this sheet works

Both parallel sides carry a number and the height is the dashed line between them, with the slant sides left unlabeled so they cannot be mistaken for the height. The average of the two bases is a length that is not drawn anywhere on the figure, which is the idea worth pausing on: it is the width the trapezoid would have if it were straightened into a rectangle of the same area.