It was just an example of a phenomenon that occurs in all languages. Here are the ABC English-Chinese glosses for the verb "play":

1. 玩儿；做游戏

2. 扮演；表演

3. 演奏

4. 开玩笑；玩弄

5. 上映；上演

6. 放音

7. 闪动；飘动

8. 发生影响

9. 赌博