Cryptic crossword clue
Filling in pool – oddly exciting without spades

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word POPULATING

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Filling" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case filling = populating.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does POPULATING mean?

POPULATING verb
  1. To supply with inhabitants; to people.
  2. To live in; to inhabit.
  3. To increase in number; to breed.
  4. To fill initially empty items in a collection.
  5. To fill initially empty slots or sockets on a circuit board or similar.

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