A method for managing a virtual memory system configured to allow multiple page sizes is described. Each page size has at least one table associated with it. The method involves maintaining entries in the tables to keep track of the page size for which the effective address is mapped. When a new effective address to physical address mapping needs to be made for a page size, the method accesses the appropriate tables to identify prior mappings for another page size in the same segment. If no such conflicting mapping exists, it creates a new mapping in the appropriate table. A formula is used to generate an index to access a mapping in a table.