This paper proposes the figure of the ostrakon as a heuristic device for analyzing the circulation of polysemic signs across communities. In this context, the ostrakon is an abstract structure composed of a single signifier and a multitude of meanings. This structure is mobilized by its processes, which map the flows of interpretive work done by individuals as they participate in groups and negotiate their own identifications. When applied, the ostrakon highlights the subjective experiences and contextualizations which develop, maintain, and destabilize meanings within and across groups. This approach, this investigation argues, propitiates new lines of inquiry which are better suited to understanding changing meanings in contemporary culture. Examinations of contemporary cultural cases through the ostrakon illustrate some of its potential applications.