This is the 6317th most frequent Spanish word.
balón
Ball.
Here 'balón' refers to a physical object, a ball, used in a general sense.
El balón rodó hasta el parque.
The ball rolled to the park.
In this sentence, 'balón' specifically refers to a soccer ball, emphasizing the type of ball.
Carlos compró un balón para jugar al fútbol.
Carlos bought a ball to play soccer.
Here, 'balón' is used metaphorically to describe the shape, likening a helium balloon to a ball.