Which pair causes the most errors?

Its/it's, in student and adult writing alike. It is worth a disproportionate share of the drill, and these sheets weight it accordingly.

How can I help with real homework?

One pass, one question: any apostrophe version, expand it aloud. Ten seconds per page, and the errors surface themselves.

5th grade contractions or possessives?

5th grade contractions or possessives? worksheets

Fifth graders keep the pairs straight in their own drafts, where its/it's is among the most common errors in student writing.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.5.2.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Try the two-word test, choose your answer, and write it on the line.

(Whose / Who’s) running the ticket booth this year?
Fixed: Who’s running the ticket booth this year?
(Your / You’re) going to want a jacket tonight.
(Whose / Who’s) got an extra umbrella in their locker?

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 5th grade sheet

5th grade sheets draw from 40 sentences, 8 to a page. 3rd to 6th grade print from the same 40 sentences. The teaching notes below are written for this grade.

A few of the sentences, as the answer key corrects them:

Their project won the ribbon for best display.
Whose bike is leaning on the library rack?
Their hamster escaped into the heating vent again.

Fix it. Try the two-word test, choose your answer, and write it on the line. 8 sentences to fix per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Make your child the editor: five sentences with mixed pairs, some correct, some wrong, and a red pen. Judging beats filling, and the judge role is a promotion kids accept eagerly.

Watch for: The apostrophe here means letters are missing, not ownership: it's = it is or it has. This runs exactly opposite to possessive nouns, which is why the pairs tangle. The expansion test finds the contractions: read the sentence with the two full words, trying both it is and it has (who is and who has). If one works, use the apostrophe. If neither works, you need a word without one, and the meaning picks it: its, your, or whose for belonging, their for belonging and there for a place.

Common questions about 5th grade contractions or possessives

Which pair causes the most errors?: Its/it's, in student and adult writing alike. It is worth a disproportionate share of the drill, and these sheets weight it accordingly.
How can I help with real homework?: One pass, one question: any apostrophe version, expand it aloud. Ten seconds per page, and the errors surface themselves.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of sentences? Download another copy.

Aligned to Common Core L.5.2. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets