diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/ini_lookup_baduser.yml b/changelogs/fragments/ini_lookup_baduser.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..64580c9007c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/ini_lookup_baduser.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - ini lookup - better error on mixed/bad parameters
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/ini.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/ini.py
index b88d4e5adfa..b8ba792ef11 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/ini.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/ini.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ import re
 from io import StringIO
 from collections import defaultdict
 
-from ansible.errors import AnsibleLookupError
+from ansible.errors import AnsibleLookupError, AnsibleOptionsError
 from ansible.module_utils.six.moves import configparser
 from ansible.module_utils._text import to_bytes, to_text, to_native
 from ansible.module_utils.common._collections_compat import MutableSequence
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                 self._deprecate_inline_kv()
                 params = _parse_params(term, paramvals)
                 try:
+                    updated_key = False
                     for param in params:
                         if '=' in param:
                             name, value = param.split('=')
@@ -141,9 +142,13 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                         elif key == term:
                             # only take first, this format never supported multiple keys inline
                             key = param
+                            updated_key = True
                 except ValueError as e:
                     # bad params passed
                     raise AnsibleLookupError("Could not use '%s' from '%s': %s" % (param, params, to_native(e)), orig_exc=e)
+                if not updated_key:
+                    raise AnsibleOptionsError("No key to lookup was provided as first term with in string inline options: %s" % term)
+                    # only passed options in inline string
 
             # TODO: look to use cache to avoid redoing this for every term if they use same file
             # Retrieve file path
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/lookup_ini/test_lookup_properties.yml b/test/integration/targets/lookup_ini/test_lookup_properties.yml
index 0d39334113d..915c68eeb6e 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/lookup_ini/test_lookup_properties.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/lookup_ini/test_lookup_properties.yml
@@ -69,3 +69,17 @@
         that:
           - '_.results.0.item == "section1/value1"'
           - '_.results.1.item == "section1/value2"'
+
+
+    - name: capture bad behaviour
+      block:
+        - name: mix options type and push key out of order
+          debug: msg="{{ lookup('ini', 'file=lookup.ini', 'value1', section='value_section') }}"
+          register: bad_mojo
+          ignore_errors: true
+
+        - name: verify
+          assert:
+            that:
+            - bad_mojo is failed
+            - '"No key to lookup was provided as first term with in string inline option" in bad_mojo.msg'