The formula =2*Factor can be identical on two worksheets and still refer to different inputs. Before replacing one result with the other, establish which definition of Factor each sheet uses. A workbook may contain both a shared assumption and an intentional local exception.

Work in a copy of the workbook. Record the two result cells, their worksheet names and the expected meaning of the factor. If one sheet represents a different process, ask whether its assumption should actually agree with the other sheet before treating the difference as an error.

Read the definition and its scope together

In desktop Excel for Windows, open Formulas, Name Manager. Inspect Name, Value, Refers To and Scope together. The same spelling can exist at workbook scope and at individual worksheet scopes. A local worksheet definition takes precedence over the workbook definition. Microsoft also documents a first-worksheet exception to overriding a conflict with a workbook-qualified name; do not rely on qualification as a universal repair.

For a disposable test in Microsoft 365 Excel, Excel 2024 or Excel 2021, use Formulas, Define Name. Create Factor with Workbook scope and Refers To set to =3. Create another Factor with scope set to a test worksheet and Refers To set to =5. Use the Scope selector deliberately for each definition.

Enter =2*Factor on that test sheet and on a sheet without a local Factor. The expected results are ten and six respectively. These are separate, declared assumptions; matching formula text alone cannot tell you which assumption was selected.

Decide which meaning the report needs

Write a small comparison listing the result cell, resolved definition and intended assumption. In a real workbook, inspect the referenced input as well as the displayed value. Two different references can happen to contain the same number today and diverge after the next update.

If the local exception is intentional, describe it near the affected calculation. If it is accidental, plan an explicit correction with the workbook owner and retest every affected sheet in the copy. Do not delete a same-named definition merely because another one looks more familiar.

After correction, vary one fictional assumption at a time and inspect which outputs respond. Restore the accepted values before handing over the workbook. Retain the scope comparison so the next editor understands why identical formula text may legitimately produce different answers.

Sources: Microsoft: names and scope.