🔎 SportsGrade 6Reading: grades 5-6Place valueWord problemsMulti-step word problemsMultiplicationMissing addends
The Case of the Missing Championship Cup
Just before the opening ceremony, someone snuck into the trophy room and snatched the golden Championship Cup! The Head Referee is panicking. All twenty-four elite athletes in the tournament are suspects. We must analyze the sports gear, training schedules, and court-side clues to track down the thief before the final whistle blows!
Suspects
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
21 of 21 still in play
| Name | Signature Move | Lucky Gear | Dominant Hand | Headband Color | Pet Peeve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | backhand smash | neon high-tops | right-handed play | red headband | bright flashbulbs |
| Stephen Curry | curving free kick | golden whistle | left-handed play | red headband | squeaky sneakers |
| Simone Biles | high jump | grip-tech gloves | left-handed play | green headband | loud airhorns |
| Coco Gauff | backhand smash | grip-tech gloves | left-handed play | blue headband | bright flashbulbs |
| Luka Doncic | three-point shot | weighted wristbands | left-handed play | blue headband | loud airhorns |
| Lionel Messi | hundred meter sprint | weighted wristbands | left-handed play | green headband | loud airhorns |
| Alex Morgan | curving free kick | titanium racket | left-handed play | red headband | loud airhorns |
| Patrick Mahomes | three-point shot | titanium racket | left-handed play | green headband | loud airhorns |
| Sunisa Lee | hundred meter sprint | neon high-tops | right-handed play | red headband | squeaky sneakers |
| Naomi Osaka | backhand smash | weighted wristbands | left-handed play | blue headband | loud airhorns |
| Travis Kelce | backhand smash | titanium racket | left-handed play | red headband | loud airhorns |
| Katie Ledecky | backhand smash | weighted wristbands | left-handed play | red headband | loud airhorns |
| Serena Williams | high jump | grip-tech gloves | right-handed play | red headband | loud airhorns |
| LeBron James | three-point shot | neon high-tops | right-handed play | blue headband | bright flashbulbs |
| Roger Federer | curving free kick | titanium racket | right-handed play | blue headband | bright flashbulbs |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | three-point shot | grip-tech gloves | left-handed play | red headband | squeaky sneakers |
| Megan Rapinoe | high jump | golden whistle | left-handed play | red headband | loud airhorns |
| Usain Bolt | curving free kick | neon high-tops | left-handed play | red headband | loud airhorns |
| Caitlin Clark | three-point shot | weighted wristbands | right-handed play | green headband | squeaky sneakers |
| Sha'Carri Richardson | backhand smash | neon high-tops | left-handed play | blue headband | bright flashbulbs |
| Michael Phelps | high jump | titanium racket | left-handed play | red headband | bright flashbulbs |
Clue 1
Place value
Coach Morrison needs to balance the team budget for new gear. By calculating the cost of jerseys and subtracting our sponsor discount, we can unlock the security office lockbox.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
T
80
600
9000
2000
20
2000
500
9000
40
T
80
6000
5000
9000
2000
60
5000
T
80
5000
3000
60
T
80
600
9000
8000
5000
30
6000
9000
60
3000
600
70
2000
T
80
30
9000
What is the value of the 8 in 12,486?T
What is the value of the 6 in 573,269?N
What is the value of the 5 in 978,570?P
What is the value of the 2 in 565,927?U
What is the value of the 4 in 22,543?C
What is the value of the 7 in 231,278?I
What is the value of the 8 in 68,742?G
What is the value of the 6 in 482,692?H
What is the value of the 5 in 135,676?O
What is the value of the 9 in 19,722?E
What is the value of the 3 in 682,732?L
What is the value of the 3 in 43,144?W
What is the value of the 2 in 482,666?S
What is the value of the 6 in 556,595?D
0/14 letters found
Clue 2
Word problems
The field crew needs to find out exactly how many gallons of sports drink are left in the storage coolers before the prime-time game begins.
Solve each problem to learn its letter, then write the letters in the boxes to fill in the missing word.
Awitnesssawthevillainwas .
L
91
50
37
99
107
73
18
D
50
D
P
L
91
73
Y
There were 131 sports bottles. 40 were used up. How many sports bottles are left?L
Coach Morrison lined up 5 rows of 10 practice cones. How many practice cones in all?E
There were 55 practice cones. 18 were used up. How many practice cones are left?F
Coach Morrison lined up 11 rows of 9 practice cones. How many practice cones in all?T
Coach Morrison lined up 2 rows of 9 tennis balls. How many tennis balls in all?N
There were 90 gold medals. 17 were used up. How many gold medals are left?A
Coach Morrison found 32 sports bottles yesterday and 75 more today. How many sports bottles in all?H
0/7 letters found
Clue 3
Multi-step word problems
The giant electronic scoreboard is flashing random numbers! We must identify the digit in the hundreds place of the ticket sale count to reset the main system.
Solve each problem to learn its letter, then write the letters in the boxes to fill in the missing word.
Someonescaredthevillainoffwith .
L
60
86
54
62
55
87
14
H
86
14
N
S
Coach Morrison filled 6 boxes with 4 tennis balls each, then found 36 more tennis balls. How many tennis balls are there in all?L
Coach Morrison filled 8 boxes with 6 practice cones each, then found 6 more practice cones. How many practice cones are there in all?U
There were 65 sports bottles in all. 23 sports bottles were set aside. The rest were shared equally among 3 The All-Stars. How many sports bottles did each get?R
Coach Morrison filled 4 boxes with 5 practice cones each, then found 42 more practice cones. How many practice cones are there in all?D
Coach Morrison collected 66 sports bottles in the morning and 108 sports bottles in the afternoon, then split them equally among 2 The All-Stars. How many sports bottles did each get?I
There were 230 stopwatches in all. 4 The All-Stars used 30 stopwatches each. The other 2 The All-Stars shared the rest equally. How many stopwatches did each of the other The All-Stars get?A
There were 466 stopwatches in all. 36 stopwatches were set aside. The rest were shared equally among 5 The All-Stars. How many stopwatches did each get?O
0/7 letters found
Clue 4
Multiplication facts (1-12)
The equipment manager stacked the new tennis ball cans in equal rows. Multiplying the rows by the balls per container will reveal the locker combination.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
A
144
49
60
9
A
144
56
48
6
11
9
5
48
54
A
144
121
9
45
A
144
49
6
56
60
54
5
54
5
A
144
48
24
A
144
56
48
12 × 12 =A
9 × 6 =H
7 × 7 =S
6 × 4 =B
9 × 5 =W
2 × 3 =O
1 × 9 =R
7 × 8 =N
10 × 6 =T
1 × 11 =F
5 × 1 =E
11 × 11 =I
6 × 8 =D
0/13 letters found
Clue 5
Missing addends — the last clue
A box of gold medals is missing some prizes. We must figure out how many more we need to reach our target of fifty medals to open the locker room safe.
First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!
Step 1 — solve these
12 + ___ = 22
21 + ___ = 28
35 + ___ = 47
7 + ___ = 13
6 + ___ = 9
15 + ___ = 16
29 + ___ = 33
16 + ___ = 25
18 + ___ = 23
35 + ___ = 46
39 + ___ = 47
Step 2 — cross out the sentence with each answer
1.The villain sprints down the stadium hallway, then leaves behind sweaty grip-tech gloves.
2.The villain kicks a soccer ball through the skylight, then escapes in flashing neon high-tops.
3.The villain sprints down the stadium hallway, then escapes in flashing neon high-tops.
4.The villain leaps over the security gate, then drops heavy weighted wristbands.
5.The villain kicks a soccer ball through the skylight, then leaves behind sweaty grip-tech gloves.
6.The villain smashes a tennis ball into the alarm button, then blows a loud golden whistle.
7.The villain smashes a tennis ball into the alarm button, then zips away with a titanium racket.
8.The villain sprints down the stadium hallway, then zips away with a titanium racket.
9.The villain scores a basket to distract the guards, then zips away with a titanium racket.
10.The villain smashes a tennis ball into the alarm button, then drops heavy weighted wristbands.
11.The villain smashes a tennis ball into the alarm button, then leaves behind sweaty grip-tech gloves.
12.The villain kicks a soccer ball through the skylight, then zips away with a titanium racket.
Solve it
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Case of the Missing Championship Cup
Culprit: Usain Bolt (curving free kick · neon high-tops · left-handed play · red headband · loud airhorns)
- Clue 1 (Place value): "THE SUSPECT DOES NOT OWN THE GOLDEN WHISTLE"What is the value of the 8 in 12,486? = 80 (T) · What is the value of the 6 in 573,269? = 60 (N) · What is the value of the 5 in 978,570? = 500 (P) · What is the value of the 2 in 565,927? = 20 (U) · What is the value of the 4 in 22,543? = 40 (C) · What is the value of the 7 in 231,278? = 70 (I) · What is the value of the 8 in 68,742? = 8000 (G) · What is the value of the 6 in 482,692? = 600 (H) · What is the value of the 5 in 135,676? = 5000 (O) · What is the value of the 9 in 19,722? = 9000 (E) · What is the value of the 3 in 682,732? = 30 (L) · What is the value of the 3 in 43,144? = 3000 (W) · What is the value of the 2 in 482,666? = 2000 (S) · What is the value of the 6 in 556,595? = 6000 (D)
- Clue 2 (Word problems): "LEFT HANDED PLAY"There were 131 sports bottles. 40 were used up. How many sports bottles are left? = 91 (L) · Coach Morrison lined up 5 rows of 10 practice cones. How many practice cones in all? = 50 (E) · There were 55 practice cones. 18 were used up. How many practice cones are left? = 37 (F) · Coach Morrison lined up 11 rows of 9 practice cones. How many practice cones in all? = 99 (T) · Coach Morrison lined up 2 rows of 9 tennis balls. How many tennis balls in all? = 18 (N) · There were 90 gold medals. 17 were used up. How many gold medals are left? = 73 (A) · Coach Morrison found 32 sports bottles yesterday and 75 more today. How many sports bottles in all? = 107 (H)
- Clue 3 (Multi-step word problems): "LOUD AIRHORNS"Coach Morrison filled 6 boxes with 4 tennis balls each, then found 36 more tennis balls. How many tennis balls are there in all? = 60 (L) · Coach Morrison filled 8 boxes with 6 practice cones each, then found 6 more practice cones. How many practice cones are there in all? = 54 (U) · There were 65 sports bottles in all. 23 sports bottles were set aside. The rest were shared equally among 3 The All-Stars. How many sports bottles did each get? = 14 (R) · Coach Morrison filled 4 boxes with 5 practice cones each, then found 42 more practice cones. How many practice cones are there in all? = 62 (D) · Coach Morrison collected 66 sports bottles in the morning and 108 sports bottles in the afternoon, then split them equally among 2 The All-Stars. How many sports bottles did each get? = 87 (I) · There were 230 stopwatches in all. 4 The All-Stars used 30 stopwatches each. The other 2 The All-Stars shared the rest equally. How many stopwatches did each of the other The All-Stars get? = 55 (A) · There were 466 stopwatches in all. 36 stopwatches were set aside. The rest were shared equally among 5 The All-Stars. How many stopwatches did each get? = 86 (O)
- Clue 4 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "A STRAND OF RED HAIR WAS ON THE HEADBAND"12 × 12 = 144 (A) · 9 × 6 = 54 (H) · 7 × 7 = 49 (S) · 6 × 4 = 24 (B) · 9 × 5 = 45 (W) · 2 × 3 = 6 (O) · 1 × 9 = 9 (R) · 7 × 8 = 56 (N) · 10 × 6 = 60 (T) · 1 × 11 = 11 (F) · 5 × 1 = 5 (E) · 11 × 11 = 121 (I) · 6 × 8 = 48 (D)
- Clue 5 (Missing addends): surviving statement (box 2) → Usain Bolt12 + ___ = 22 = 10 · 21 + ___ = 28 = 7 · 35 + ___ = 47 = 12 · 7 + ___ = 13 = 6 · 6 + ___ = 9 = 3 · 15 + ___ = 16 = 1 · 29 + ___ = 33 = 4 · 16 + ___ = 25 = 9 · 18 + ___ = 23 = 5 · 35 + ___ = 46 = 11 · 39 + ___ = 47 = 8
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 6 math
- Math topics
- Place value, Word problems, Multi-step word problems, Multiplication, Missing addends
- Reading level
- grades 5-6
- Theme
- The Case of the Missing Championship Cup — set in The Grand Stadium of Champions
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects