3rd grade properties of multiplication worksheets
Properties of multiplication worksheets give 3rd graders fill-in equations built on the commutative, associative, and distributive properties. The star is the distributive property: splitting 6 × 7 into 6 × 5 + 6 × 2 turns a hard fact into two easy ones.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 3.OA.B.5.
A new sheet every click.
The kind of problems you'll get
Fill in the missing number that makes each equation true.
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4 × 6 = (4 × 5) + (4 × ___)
Answer: 1
- 5 × 9 = (5 × ___) + (5 × 6)
- 5 × 9 = (5 × 2) + (5 × ___)
Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Fluency. Fill in the missing number that makes each equation true. 12 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Skip the property names at first. Kids need the moves, not the vocabulary. Ask "which fact in here do you already know?" so splitting 6 × 7 into 6 × 5 + 6 × 2 feels like a shortcut, not a rule. Arrays help: cut a 6-by-7 grid of dots into a 6-by-5 piece and a 6-by-2 piece, then count each part.
Watch for: Kids think switching the order changes the answer. 8 × 4 and 4 × 8 both make 32, so start from whichever fact you know best. Kids multiply only one piece of a split, writing 6 × 7 = 6 × 5 + 2. Both parts get multiplied, so it's 6 × 5 + 6 × 2.
Common questions about properties of multiplication
- What is the distributive property in 3rd grade?
- It's breaking one factor apart to make a fact easier: 6 × 7 = 6 × 5 + 6 × 2. Third graders use it to reach hard facts through ones they already know.
- Does my child need to memorize the property names?
- Not yet. Third grade is about using the moves. The formal names matter more when algebra arrives.
Related worksheets
- 3rd grade division facts Same grade, nearby skill
- 3rd grade mixed operations review Same grade, nearby skill
- 3rd grade multiplication facts 0–12 Same grade, nearby skill
- Properties of multiplication, all grades The full progression
- All 3rd grade math worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 3rd grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core 3.OA.B.5. Reviewed by the One more sheet curriculum team. Content version 123, updated July 2026.