What does mallet mean?
Word: Mallet
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Mallet means a hammer with a large wooden head, used for tapping pegs or chisels and in some ball games.
How do you spell mallet?
Syllables: mal - let
Tricky part: It is easy to write malet, because the ear catches only one l. That spelling also suggests a long a, which this word does not have.
Watch out for: malet, mallett
Memory tip: Grip a mallet with both hands: two hands, two l's.
Mallet in a sentence
Example 1: Use the mallet to knock the tent pegs into the ground.
Example 2: Luca swung the croquet mallet and sent the ball through the hoop.
Example 3: The potter tapped the clay flat with a small wooden mallet.
Fun Fact
Polo players swing long-handled mallets from horseback, and the modern game owes much to Manipur, in north-east India, where British tea planters learned it in the 1800s.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
mall_t
a) i
b) o
c) a
d) e
Show answer
d) e. The last vowel matches the one in wallet and pallet.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with mallet?
a) ballet
b) pallet
c) palate
d) palette
Show answer
a) ballet. Ballet comes from French and ends in a long ay sound with a silent t.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The sculpter raised his mallet and gently tapped the block of sandstone until the outline of an elephant appeared.
a) sculpter and sandstone
b) outline and mallet
c) only sculpter
d) only outline
Show answer
c) only sculpter. An artist who carves stone ends in or, so one word in the sentence is wrong.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
ltaelm
a) a wooden bar that holds a door firmly shut
b) a metal tool with long blades for cutting grass
c) a thin rope that is used for pulling a boat
d) a tool with a heavy wooden head for knocking things
Show answer
d) a tool with a heavy wooden head for knocking things. The letters give mallet, and the wooden head is the clue.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why might a carpenter pick a mallet rather than a metal hammer?
a) It is less likely to dent wood.
b) It can drill neat round holes.
c) It is far sharper at the end.
d) It can cut wood into strips.
Show answer
a) It is less likely to dent wood.
2. What sound is a mallet most likely to make on a wooden peg?
a) a soft, quick hiss
b) a high, sharp ping
c) a dull, solid thud
d) a long, low hum
Show answer
c) a dull, solid thud
