Here are some examples of words that *sound* somewhat similar to "lonely," but are not homophones:
* Lonesome: This is the most common word used interchangeably with "lonely," but it has a different spelling.
* Loanly: This word isn't a real word, but it sounds close to "lonely."
* Only: This word is sometimes used in place of "lonely" in certain contexts, but it's not a true synonym.
Let me know if you'd like to explore other words that might be similar in meaning to "lonely," even if they don't sound exactly the same!