leg-pulling vs joke

leg-pulling and joke both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
leg-pulling	Yes	No	No	No
joke	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, joke is a hypernym of leg-pulling; that is, joke is a word with a broader meaning than leg-pulling:

leg-pulling: as a joke: trying to make somebody believe something that is not true
joke: activity characterized by good humor

Other hypernyms of leg-pulling include jest, jocularity.

leg-pulling (noun)	joke (noun)
as a joke: trying to make somebody believe something that is not true	a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement
	activity characterized by good humor
	a triviality not to be taken seriously
	a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter

leg-pulling (verb)	joke (verb)
	act in a funny or teasing way
	tell a joke; speak humorously