catching vs playing

catching and playing both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
catching	Yes	Yes	No	No
playing	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, playing is a hypernym of catching; that is, playing is a word with a broader meaning than catching:

catching (noun)	playing (noun)
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team	the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation
the act of detecting something; catching sight of something	the act of playing a musical instrument
becoming infected	the performance of a part or role in a drama

catching (adjective)	playing (adjective)
(of disease) capable of being transmitted by infection