Hint as a noun: Giving a hint means to provide some information that will help the recipient to more easily complete a task.
Hint as a verb: The act of giving a hint. It is sometimes used in spoken language as a slang version of "refer", for example "I was hinting to it but he couldn't read between the lines".
Indicate as a verb: When a sign, sentence, body language, behaviour or something else can be used to detect, discover or find something. For example "smoke indicates fire" or "a big neon sign indicates the direction to the women's clothing section".