[halfthishalfthat]

I believe the added meaning masaegu-san is referring to is similar to the one you already mentioned.

利用する　"make use of" or in some sense "take advantage of"
While it still has the plain old "use" meaning, 利用する can also be used in the sense of making use of what is available, taking advantage of a chance/opportunity/resource/etc, or using people for gain.