A method for providing the appropriate meaning of an entry in a text is described. The method includes the steps of determining if there are alternative meanings of the entry in an electronic dictionary and if there are alternative meanings determining the dictionary markup theme associated with each of the alternative meanings of the entry. Also, the theme associated with the text is determined. For a hierarchical structure associated with themes of entries in the electronic dictionary, the distance between the theme of the text with the dictionary markup theme of the alternative meanings of the entry is compared. Based on the distance between the theme of the text and the dictionary markup theme of the alternative meanings of the entry, the appropriate meaning is selected.