Riddle: what everyday object is full of holes yet still manages to hold water?

Introduction / Context:
This riddle sounds contradictory at first glance. It asks about something that has holes but also holds water. Our first reaction is to think that anything full of holes should leak and be unable to hold liquid. However, the puzzle is describing an object whose entire structure is based on tiny holes and pores and yet is designed specifically to absorb and retain water. This tension between expectation and reality makes it a popular logic question in aptitude tests and classroom quizzes.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The object has many holes.
• Despite the holes, it can hold water.
• The answer is a common household cleaning item.
• The word hold refers to absorbing and retaining water, not just containing it like a solid container.
• Among the options, only one fits both the hole filled and water holding description naturally.

Concept / Approach:
The key is to realise that holding water can mean absorbing water into a material instead of storing it in a solid walled container. A sponge is full of small holes and pores. When placed in water, the liquid fills those pores and is held inside the sponge until it is squeezed out. A bucket, net and strainer either have fewer or larger holes and cannot hold water effectively because the water flows straight through. Therefore, sponge is the obvious and standard answer to this riddle.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Think about how a kitchen or bath sponge looks: it has many tiny holes throughout its body. Dip a sponge in water and it quickly soaks up the liquid, becoming heavy and saturated. The water stays inside the sponge's pores until you squeeze or wring it out. Thus, even though the sponge is full of holes, it still holds water very well. Compare this to a net or strainer, which has large openings that let water pass through without being retained.

Verification / Alternative check:
Examine each option. A bucket can hold water but usually has solid walls and is not full of holes; if it did have holes, we would call it leaky. A net is nearly all holes and cannot hold water at all; water flows straight through the large gaps. A strainer also has holes specifically to let water drain away from food, such as pasta. Only a sponge is full of small internal holes and yet is designed to soak up and keep water inside it until pressure is applied. This dual nature makes sponge the unique answer that satisfies the riddle exactly.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Bucket does not fit the has holes part when working normally, since a functional bucket must be watertight. Net and strainer fit the holes description but fail badly on holds water; their entire purpose is the opposite. They let water escape so solid items can be separated. The riddle is built around the special case of a sponge, which seems self contradictory but is perfectly logical once you think in terms of absorption instead of simple containment.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners treat hold water only as contain without leakage and immediately reject anything with holes, not considering absorption as a different way of holding. Others might guess net because it is strongly associated with holes, without checking the water requirement. To avoid such mistakes, read riddles carefully and think of alternative meanings for everyday phrases. In this case, recognising that a sponge can be both hole filled and water holding unlocks the correct answer.

Final Answer:
The object that has holes but still holds water is a sponge.