diff --git a/framework/src/main/java/org/checkerframework/common/basetype/BaseTypeVisitor.java b/framework/src/main/java/org/checkerframework/common/basetype/BaseTypeVisitor.java
index 3205e3881e1..5c535b4d774 100644
--- a/framework/src/main/java/org/checkerframework/common/basetype/BaseTypeVisitor.java
+++ b/framework/src/main/java/org/checkerframework/common/basetype/BaseTypeVisitor.java
@@ -2260,21 +2260,21 @@ public Void visitReturn(ReturnTree tree, Void p) {
 
     Tree enclosing = TreePathUtil.enclosingOfKind(getCurrentPath(), methodAndLambdaExpression);
 
-    AnnotatedTypeMirror ret = null;
+    AnnotatedTypeMirror declaredReturnType = null;
     if (enclosing.getKind() == Tree.Kind.METHOD) {
       MethodTree enclosingMethod = (MethodTree) enclosing;
       boolean valid = validateTypeOf(enclosingMethod);
       if (valid) {
-        ret = atypeFactory.getMethodReturnType(enclosingMethod, tree);
+        declaredReturnType = atypeFactory.getMethodReturnType(enclosingMethod, tree);
       }
     } else {
       AnnotatedExecutableType result =
           atypeFactory.getFunctionTypeFromTree((LambdaExpressionTree) enclosing);
-      ret = result.getReturnType();
+      declaredReturnType = result.getReturnType();
     }
 
-    if (ret != null) {
-      commonAssignmentCheck(ret, tree.getExpression(), "return");
+    if (declaredReturnType != null) {
+      commonAssignmentCheck(declaredReturnType, tree.getExpression(), "return");
     }
     return super.visitReturn(tree, p);
   }