Various ions and antibiotics, widely used in industry and clinical medicine, respectively, are massively discharged to atmosphere and water, resulting in severe pollutions on environment and potential threats to human health. Besides, amino acids, the primary substances for the establishment of proteins, cells and tissues, are crucial to human health. Therefore, seeking effective and practicable materials to detect aforesaid analytes is vitally meaningful. Metal-organic frameworks centered with lanthanide ions (Ln-MOFs), also known as lanthanide coordination polymers, are considered as a charming category of multi-functional hybrid crystalline materials with fascinating structures and incomparable luminescent characteristics. Benefited from their unique merits, Ln-MOFs have been largely developed as excellent luminescent sensors for fast and efficient sensing various analytes. In this review, we aim to introduce some of the recent researches between 2018 to 2022 on Ln-MOFs applied as chemical sensors for ions, antibiotics and amino acids based on luminescent quenching and enhancing effects, and provide an update and summary for the latest progresses in this field.