diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index f10fff99c0..694f85de06 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 htsjdk.iws
 .command_tmp
+.DS_Store
 atlassian-ide-plugin.xml
 /htsjdk.version.properties
 /test-output/
diff --git a/src/main/java/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContextComparator.java b/src/main/java/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContextComparator.java
index d4e288f978..bcccbeab4e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContextComparator.java
+++ b/src/main/java/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContextComparator.java
@@ -83,11 +83,20 @@ public int compare(final VariantContext firstVariantContext, final VariantContex
 		// Will throw NullPointerException -- happily -- if either of the chromosomes/contigs aren't
 		// present. This error checking should already have been done in the constructor but it's left
 		// in as defence anyway.
-		final int contigCompare =
-				this.contigIndexLookup.get(firstVariantContext.getContig()) - this.contigIndexLookup.get(secondVariantContext.getContig());
-		return contigCompare != 0
-				? contigCompare
-				: firstVariantContext.getStart() - secondVariantContext.getStart();
+		int contigCompare = this.contigIndexLookup.get(firstVariantContext.getContig()).compareTo(this.contigIndexLookup.get(secondVariantContext.getContig()));
+		contigCompare = contigCompare == 0 ? firstVariantContext.getStart() - secondVariantContext.getStart() : contigCompare;
+		if (contigCompare == 0) {
+			// Compare variants that have the same genomic span (chr:start-end) lexicographically by all alleles (ref and alts).
+			for (int i = 0; i < firstVariantContext.getAlleles().size(); i++) {
+				// If all previous alleles are identical and the first variant has additional alleles, make the first variant greater.
+				if (i >= secondVariantContext.getAlleles().size()) { return 1; }
+				contigCompare = firstVariantContext.getAlleles().get(i).compareTo(secondVariantContext.getAlleles().get(i));
+				if (contigCompare != 0) return contigCompare;
+			}
+		}
+		// If all previous alleles are identical and the second variant has additional alleles, make the second variant greater.
+		if (firstVariantContext.getAlleles().size() < secondVariantContext.getAlleles().size()) { return -1; }
+		return contigCompare;
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/src/test/java/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContextComparatorUnitTest.java b/src/test/java/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContextComparatorUnitTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..578f673ae4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContextComparatorUnitTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+package htsjdk.variant.variantcontext;
+
+import htsjdk.HtsjdkTest;
+import org.testng.Assert;
+import org.testng.annotations.BeforeSuite;
+import org.testng.annotations.Test;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collections;
+
+/**
+ * Unit tests for VariantContextComparator.
+ */
+public class VariantContextComparatorUnitTest extends HtsjdkTest {
+    private Allele refA, altG, altT;
+
+    @BeforeSuite
+    public void before() {
+        refA = Allele.create("A", true);
+        altG = Allele.create("G", false);
+        altT = Allele.create("T", false);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testVariantContextsWithSameSiteSortLexicographicallyByAlleleIdentical() {
+        final String contig = "chr1";
+        final VariantContextComparator comparator = new VariantContextComparator(Collections.singletonList(contig));
+        final VariantContextBuilder builder = new VariantContextBuilder("test", contig, 1, 1, Collections.emptyList());
+
+        final VariantContext variant1 = builder.alleles(Arrays.asList(refA, altG)).make();
+        final VariantContext variant2 = builder.alleles(Arrays.asList(refA, altG)).make();
+
+        final int compare = comparator.compare(variant1, variant2);
+        Assert.assertEquals(compare, 0); // TODO: What other criteria might we sort by to break this tie?
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testVariantContextsWithSameSiteSortLexicographicallyByAllele() {
+        final String contig = "chr1";
+        final VariantContextComparator comparator = new VariantContextComparator(Collections.singletonList(contig));
+        final VariantContextBuilder builder = new VariantContextBuilder("test", contig, 1, 1, Collections.emptyList());
+
+        final VariantContext variant1 = builder.alleles(Arrays.asList(refA, altG)).make();
+        final VariantContext variant2 = builder.alleles(Arrays.asList(refA, altT)).make();
+
+        final int compare = comparator.compare(variant1, variant2);
+        Assert.assertEquals(compare, -1);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testVariantContextsWithSameSiteSortLexicographicallyByAlleleThenExtraAllelesForFirstVariant() {
+        final String contig = "chr1";
+        final VariantContextComparator comparator = new VariantContextComparator(Collections.singletonList(contig));
+        final VariantContextBuilder builder = new VariantContextBuilder("test", contig, 1, 1, Collections.emptyList());
+
+        final VariantContext variant1 = builder.alleles(Arrays.asList(refA, altG, altT)).make();
+        final VariantContext variant2 = builder.alleles(Arrays.asList(refA, altG)).make();
+
+        final int compare = comparator.compare(variant1, variant2);
+        Assert.assertEquals(compare, 1);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testVariantContextsWithSameSiteSortLexicographicallyByAlleleThenExtraAllelesForSecondVariant() {
+        final String contig = "chr1";
+        final VariantContextComparator comparator = new VariantContextComparator(Collections.singletonList(contig));
+        final VariantContextBuilder builder = new VariantContextBuilder("test", contig, 1, 1, Collections.emptyList());
+
+        final VariantContext variant1 = builder.alleles(Arrays.asList(refA, altG)).make();
+        final VariantContext variant2 = builder.alleles(Arrays.asList(refA, altG, altT)).make();
+
+        final int compare = comparator.compare(variant1, variant2);
+        Assert.assertEquals(compare, -1);
+    }
+}