Work is the energy used to move an object against an opposing force. Basketball's three-point jump shot is work. Remember how Michael Jordan moved his body upward against the force of gravity. His dribble was work. The compressing ball as it strikes the floor, the rebounding ball as it returns to Michael Jordan's hand, all of this is work.
Energy is used to overcome gravity, to deform the shape of the air-filled ball.
When we express energy as the sum of heat and work, we are making a very specific claim concerning these two properties. They are related. The relationship between heat and work is a close one, so close the amount of heat and the amount of work must be expressed with numerical values having the same units. Both units represent quite small increments of energy. We must add 1 calorie of heat to increase the temperature of 1g of water 1 degree Celsius.