Exploit said sheep (3)
I believe the answer is:
use
'exploit' is the definition.
(use is a kind of exploit)
'said sheep' is the wordplay.
'said' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'sheep' becomes 'ewes' (I've seen this before).
'ewes' is a homophone of 'USE'.
(Other definitions for use that I've seen before include "Employ, put into service" , "particular church liturgy" , "Employ or exploit" , "Take drugs regularly" , "Habitually employ" .)