Honing method for machining the inner surface of a bore in a workpiece with the aid of at least one honing operation, in particular for honing cylinder walls in the production of cylinder blocks or cylinder sleeves for reciprocating piston engines, wherein during a honing operation an expandable honing tool which is coupled to a spindle is moved in a reciprocating manner within the bore so as to generate a stroke movement in the axial direction of the bore and, so as to generate a rotating movement that superimposes the stroke movement, is simultaneously rotated about a tool axis, and a bore which is rotationally symmetrical in relation to a bore axis and deviates from the circular-cylindrical shape, has a circular-cylindrical first bore portion and adjoining thereto a second bore portion which is not circular-cylindrical and has an axially variable diameter is generated, characterized by the following steps: measuring the diameter of the first bore portion in at least one first measuring plane (M1-1, M1-2, M1-3) so as to determine a first diameter value; measuring the diameter of the second bore portion in at least one second measuring plane (M2-1, M2-2, M2-3) so as to determine a second diameter value; evaluating the second diameter value while using the first diameter value in order to determine actual shape values which represent an actual shape of the bore, wherein the first diameter value determined in the circular-cylindrical first bore portion is utilized as the reference value for evaluating those diameter values that by measuring are determined in the second bore portion which is not circular-cylindrical in such a manner that the first diameter value serves as the workpiece-internal reference for the entire measurement; comparing the actual shape values with nominal shape values in order to determine shape deviation values; controlling a subsequent honing operation as a function of the shape deviation values. during a honing operation an expandable honing tool which is coupled to a spindle is moved in a reciprocating manner within the bore so as to generate a stroke movement in the axial direction of the bore and, so as to generate a rotating movement that superimposes the stroke movement, is simultaneously rotated about a tool axis, and a bore which is rotationally symmetrical in relation to a bore axis and deviates from the circular-cylindrical shape, has a circular-cylindrical first bore portion and adjoining thereto a second bore portion which is not circular-cylindrical and has an axially variable diameter is generated, characterized by the following steps: measuring the diameter of the first bore portion in at least one first measuring plane (M1-1, M1-2, M1-3) so as to determine a first diameter value; measuring the diameter of the second bore portion in at least one second measuring plane (M2-1, M2-2, M2-3) so as to determine a second diameter value; evaluating the second diameter value while using the first diameter value in order to determine actual shape values which represent an actual shape of the bore, wherein the first diameter value determined in the circular-cylindrical first bore portion is utilized as the reference value for evaluating those diameter values that by measuring are determined in the second bore portion which is not circular-cylindrical in such a manner that the first diameter value serves as the workpiece-internal reference for the entire measurement; comparing the actual shape values with nominal shape values in order to determine shape deviation values; controlling a subsequent honing operation as a function of the shape deviation values. measuring the diameter of the first bore portion in at least one first measuring plane (M1-1, M1-2, M1-3) so as to determine a first diameter value; measuring the diameter of the second bore portion in at least one second measuring plane (M2-1, M2-2, M2-3) so as to determine a second diameter value; evaluating the second diameter value while using the first diameter value in order to determine actual shape values which represent an actual shape of the bore, wherein the first diameter value determined in the circular-cylindrical first bore portion is utilized as the reference value for evaluating those diameter values that by measuring are determined in the second bore portion which is not circular-cylindrical in such a manner that the first diameter value serves as the workpiece-internal reference for the entire measurement; comparing the actual shape values with nominal shape values in order to determine shape deviation values; controlling a subsequent honing operation as a function of the shape deviation values.