diff --git a/x/auth/client/cli/tx_sign.go b/x/auth/client/cli/tx_sign.go
index 34483f9c935b..2fd6bc3bed8d 100644
--- a/x/auth/client/cli/tx_sign.go
+++ b/x/auth/client/cli/tx_sign.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
+	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
+
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/flags"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/tx"
@@ -107,10 +109,16 @@ func makeSignBatchCmd() func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 					return err
 				}
 			} else {
-				multisigAddr, _, _, err := client.GetFromFields(txFactory.Keybase(), ms, clientCtx.GenerateOnly)
+				multisigAddr, err := sdk.AccAddressFromBech32(ms)
+
+				// if passed in string for multisig flag is not an address, check to see if it is a name in the keybase
 				if err != nil {
-					return fmt.Errorf("error getting account from keybase: %w", err)
+					multisigAddr, _, _, err = client.GetFromFields(txFactory.Keybase(), ms, clientCtx.GenerateOnly)
+					if err != nil {
+						return fmt.Errorf("error getting account from keybase: %w", err)
+					}
 				}
+
 				err = authclient.SignTxWithSignerAddress(
 					txFactory, clientCtx, multisigAddr, clientCtx.GetFromName(), txBuilder, clientCtx.Offline, true)
 				if err != nil {
@@ -234,10 +242,17 @@ func makeSignCmd() func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 		overwrite, _ := f.GetBool(flagOverwrite)
 		if multisig != "" {
-			multisigAddr, _, _, err := client.GetFromFields(txFactory.Keybase(), multisig, clientCtx.GenerateOnly)
+
+			multisigAddr, err := sdk.AccAddressFromBech32(multisig)
+
+			// if passed in string for multisig flag is not an address, check to see if it is a name in the keybase
 			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("error getting account from keybase: %w", err)
+				multisigAddr, _, _, err = client.GetFromFields(txFactory.Keybase(), multisig, clientCtx.GenerateOnly)
+				if err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("error getting account from keybase: %w", err)
+				}
 			}
+
 			err = authclient.SignTxWithSignerAddress(
 				txF, clientCtx, multisigAddr, fromName, txBuilder, clientCtx.Offline, overwrite)
 			if err != nil {