Work as energy transfer
Work is force times distance times the cosine of the angle, so only the component along the motion transfers energy.
A worked example
Pulling a sled 12 m with 90 N applied at 30 degrees to the ground does W = 90 x 12 x cos 30 = 935 J.
The mistake people actually make
The centripetal force is always at 90 degrees to the velocity, so it does no work and the speed never changes. Potential energy mgh and kinetic energy half mv squared depend on height and speed, not on the path taken.