What exactly is a "play on words"?

Question

I've never understood what it means and I have always wondered.

Answer 1

To play on words means your using deceptive means wording a question or statement. It generally means that the person is trying to answer a question they are posing to you by forcing the right answer out of you, such as:

How long have you been g*y?

Asking it that way leaves only one answer, a time line, and doesn't leave open a possibility for you answering with I'm not g*y.