diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/316_ansible_ssh_host_handling.yml b/changelogs/fragments/316_ansible_ssh_host_handling.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2945138
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/316_ansible_ssh_host_handling.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+bugfixes:
+- synchronize - handle ansible_ssh_host the same as ansible_host (https://github.com/ansible-collections/ansible.posix/issues/298).
diff --git a/plugins/action/synchronize.py b/plugins/action/synchronize.py
index a5752b9..a646671 100644
--- a/plugins/action/synchronize.py
+++ b/plugins/action/synchronize.py
@@ -235,10 +235,11 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         src_host = '127.0.0.1'
         inventory_hostname = task_vars.get('inventory_hostname')
         dest_host_inventory_vars = task_vars['hostvars'].get(inventory_hostname)
-        dest_host = dest_host_inventory_vars.get('ansible_host', inventory_hostname)
-
+        dest_host = dest_host_inventory_vars.get('ansible_host') or \
+            dest_host_inventory_vars.get('ansible_ssh_host', inventory_hostname)
         dest_host_ids = [hostid for hostid in (dest_host_inventory_vars.get('inventory_hostname'),
-                                               dest_host_inventory_vars.get('ansible_host'))
+                                               dest_host_inventory_vars.get('ansible_host'),
+                                               dest_host_inventory_vars.get('ansible_ssh_host'))
                          if hostid is not None]
 
         localhost_ports = set()