diff --git a/evennia/commands/tests.py b/evennia/commands/tests.py
index f0ad139f01..c06962da84 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/tests.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/tests.py
@@ -1035,7 +1035,7 @@ class TestGetAndMergeCmdSets(TwistedTestCase, BaseEvenniaTest):
             pcmdset = AccountCmdSet()
             pcmdset.at_cmdset_creation()
             pcmds = [cmd.key for cmd in pcmdset.commands] + ["a", "b", "c", "d"]
-            self.assertTrue(all(cmd.key in pcmds for cmd in cmdset.commands))
+            self.assertEqual(set(cmd.key for cmd in cmdset.commands), set(pcmds))
 
         # _callback = lambda cmdset: self.assertEqual(sum(1 for cmd in cmdset.commands if cmd.key in ("a", "b", "c", "d")), 4)
         deferred.addCallback(_callback)
diff --git a/evennia/contrib/game_systems/puzzles/tests.py b/evennia/contrib/game_systems/puzzles/tests.py
index 79d3fed228..1138818d44 100644
--- a/evennia/contrib/game_systems/puzzles/tests.py
+++ b/evennia/contrib/game_systems/puzzles/tests.py
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ class TestPuzzles(BaseEvenniaCommandTest):
         self._use(
             "steel-1, flint", "You try to utilize these but nothing happens ... something amiss?"
         )
-        self._use("steel-1, flint, red steel, steel-3", "You are a Genius")
+        self._use("steel-1, flint, red steel, steel-2", "You are a Genius")
         self._check_room_contents({"smoke": 1, "fire": 1})
         _box_all()
 
diff --git a/evennia/objects/manager.py b/evennia/objects/manager.py
index aa5cb8e749..9dc451a496 100644
--- a/evennia/objects/manager.py
+++ b/evennia/objects/manager.py
@@ -476,13 +476,19 @@ class ObjectDBManager(TypedObjectManager):
             # query - if so, strip it.
             match = _MULTIMATCH_REGEX.match(str(searchdata))
             match_number = None
+            stripped_searchdata = searchdata
             if match:
                 # strips the number
-                match_number, searchdata = match.group("number"), match.group("name")
+                match_number, stripped_searchdata = match.group("number"), match.group("name")
                 match_number = int(match_number) - 1
-            if match_number is not None or not exact:
-                # run search again, with the exactness set by call
-                matches = _searcher(searchdata, candidates, typeclass, exact=exact)
+            if match_number is not None:
+                # run search against the stripped data
+                matches = _searcher(stripped_searchdata, candidates, typeclass, exact=True)
+                if not matches:
+                    # final chance to get a looser match against the number-strippped query
+                    matches = _searcher(stripped_searchdata, candidates, typeclass, exact=False)
+            elif not exact:
+                matches = _searcher(searchdata, candidates, typeclass, exact=False)
 
         # deal with result
         if len(matches) == 1 and match_number is not None and match_number != 0: