Nativity crossword puzzle
Twelve clues from the Nativity story: Mary and Joseph, Bethlehem, shepherds, the guiding star, the wise men and their gifts.
Curated by 
Esme Rook
·
Updated October 2026
Play it right here
12 clues to solve: 7 across and 5 down. Tap a square and type; tap it again to switch between across and down. Solved words lock in green.
Across
- 2. Travelers who brought gifts from the east (7)
- 5. Town where Jesus was born (9)
- 7. Precious metal presented as a gift (4)
- 8. Mother of Jesus (4)
- 10. Light that guided the wise men (4)
- 11. Mary's husband (6)
- 12. Cloth wrapped around the newborn baby (9)
Down
- 1. Fragrant substance burned in worship (7)
- 3. They watched their flocks near Bethlehem (9)
- 4. Heavenly messenger who announced good news (5)
- 6. Feeding trough where the baby was laid (6)
- 9. Simple shelter traditionally shown in the scene (6)
Which parts of the Nativity story are included?
The answers follow the familiar people, places and objects of the account. Clues use the story itself rather than chapter references, so the puzzle fits a church handout or family table. MARY and JOSEPH, the SHEPHERDS, the STAR that guided the wise men, the MANGER and the gift of GOLD are all here.
Names first
Fill the names first. Mary, Joseph and Bethlehem create crossings through shepherds, incense and manger. SWADDLING, the cloth wrapped around the newborn baby, is reached through STABLE, which in turn meets STAR. BETHLEHEM, SHEPHERDS and SWADDLING are the nine-letter answers, and GOLD, MARY and STAR are the four-letter ones. SHEPHERDS is the busiest word, with WISEMEN, BETHLEHEM, MARY and JOSEPH all passing through it.
WISEMEN as one word
WISEMEN goes into the grid as a single word, the travelers who brought gifts from the east, and it crosses SHEPHERDS and INCENSE. INCENSE is clued as the fragrant substance burned in worship, and ANGEL as the heavenly messenger who announced good news. It suits Sunday school, Advent lessons and families reading the Christmas story together. The Nativity word search follows the same account, and the Bible crossword reaches further back to Noah, Moses and David.
For church handouts and the family table
Complete the grid on this page, or download the puzzle as a one-sheet PDF for copying. A second PDF holds the filled-in grid, so a leader can check answers without showing them. Other themes are gathered on the printable crossword puzzles hub.
