Printable Contraction Puzzles - Grammar Matching Activity

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Contractions are such a fun thing to learn about! The grammar contractions, not the birth kind. Those ones hurt!

I’ve been teaching my kids about contractions and wanted a hands-on way for them to practice putting words together. So I created these printable contraction puzzles!

Instead of simply filling in a worksheet, kids match two words with the contraction they form. It’s a fun way to practice grammar, spelling, and recognizing apostrophes.

This printable set includes 83 three-piece contraction puzzles, plus one blank puzzle to customize, spread across 21 pages.

What Is a Contraction?

A contraction is a shortened form of one or more words, usually created by combining words and leaving out certain letters.

An apostrophe shows where letters have been omitted.

For example:

Do + not = don’t
Can + not = can’t
I + am = I’m
She + will = she’ll
They + are = they’re
Would + have = would’ve

Contractions are common in everyday conversation and informal writing. Learning how they work helps children recognize familiar words, understand apostrophes, and spell contractions correctly.

Some contractions can have more than one meaning, depending on the sentence.

For example, she’d can mean she had or she would.

This is a great opportunity to talk about using context clues to understand what a contraction means.

Printable Contraction Matching Puzzles

I created this set after looking through lists of English contractions and realizing just how many there are! Some are very common, while others are rarely used in everyday writing. I decided to focus on a wide variety of contractions children might encounter while reading or writing.

The printable includes 21 pages with four three-piece puzzles per page. That’s 84 puzzle spaces altogether: 83 contraction puzzles and one blank puzzle you can fill in yourself.

Each puzzle helps children connect the original words with their shortened contraction.

Contractions Included in the Activity

The puzzle set covers a variety of contraction patterns.

Contractions with Not

These are some of the most familiar contractions children learn:

Do not → Don’t
Does not → Doesn’t
Did not → Didn’t
Is not → Isn’t
Are not → Aren’t
Cannot → Can’t
Will not → Won’t
Would not → Wouldn’t

Contractions with Pronouns

Children can also practice contractions formed with pronouns:

I am → I’m
I will → I’ll
I have → I’ve
You are → You’re
We are → We’re
They are → They’re
She will → She’ll
He is → He’s

Contractions with Have, Had, and Would

The set also includes more advanced examples such as:

Could have → Could’ve
Should have → Should’ve
Might have → Might’ve
Would have → Would’ve
Who would have → Who’d’ve

Some contractions have multiple possible meanings, so it’s helpful to discuss how we figure out which meaning is intended when reading a sentence.

You don’t need to introduce every contraction at once. Start with the familiar ones and add more as your child becomes comfortable.

How to Use the Contraction Puzzles

These puzzles are easy to prepare and can be used in several different ways.

1. Print and Cut Apart the Puzzles

Print the pages and cut apart the puzzle pieces. For repeated use, you can laminate the pages before cutting them out.

2. Start with a Small Group

Rather than using all 83 puzzles at once, choose a few contractions your child is learning. You might begin with don’t, can’t, I’m, and we’re.

3. Match the Words

Have children find the two original words and connect them with the matching contraction. Ask them to read the completed puzzle aloud.

4. Practice Writing the Contractions

After matching a few puzzles, have children write the contractions on paper or use them in sentences. This reinforces the spelling and placement of the apostrophe.

More Ways to Practice Contractions

You can use these printable grammar puzzles for more than simple matching.

Literacy centers: Set out a small group of puzzles for independent or partner work.
Contraction sorting: Sort the completed puzzles by patterns, such as contractions with not, will, or have.
Memory challenge: After completing several puzzles, cover the contraction pieces and see if children can remember the correct shortened forms.
Sentence writing: Choose a completed puzzle and write a sentence using the contraction.
Find the apostrophe: Have children identify which letters were removed and where the apostrophe belongs.
Make your own: Use the blank puzzle to add another contraction you’d like to practice.

I love having activities like these available because they turn grammar practice into something children can actually manipulate and explore.

Get the Printable Contraction Puzzles

Want to use these with your kids?

My Printable Contraction Puzzles set includes 21 pages of three-piece matching puzzles, with 83 contractions and one blank puzzle to customize.

They’re great for homeschool language arts lessons, classroom literacy centers, and hands-on grammar practice.

Get the Printable Contraction Puzzles in My Shop

More Language Arts Activities for Kids

If you’re looking for more ways to make spelling and grammar practice fun, try these activities:

Grammar practice doesn’t have to mean another worksheet! These hands-on contraction puzzles give kids a fun way to explore how words work together.

Printable Contraction Puzzles – Grammar Matching Activity

What Is a Contraction?

Printable Contraction Matching Puzzles