Is paid we hear pots (4)
I believe the answer is:
urns
'pots' is the definition.
(urn is a type of vessel)
'is paid we hear' is the wordplay.
'is paid' becomes 'earns' (I've seen this in another clue).
'we hear' shows a homophone (sound like).
'earns' is a homophone of 'URNS'.
(Other definitions for urns that I've seen before include "Large vessels for tea" , "Vessels to hold the ashes of the dead" , "Vaselike vessels on pedestals" , "Tall vases" , "ballot boxes" .)