shifter

noun13

1. •
   One who, or that which, shifts or changes.
2. •
   A shape-shifter; a person or other being capable of changing their physical form, especially a lycanthrope.
3. •
   A control device (usually a lever or button) for shifting gears in a gearbox, or an arrangement for shifting a belt sidewise from one pulley to another.
4. •
   A component used by the rider to control the gearing mechanisms and select the desired gear ratio, usually connected to the derailleur by a mechanical actuation cable.
5. •
   (Australia) A spanner with an adjustable jaw size.
6. •
   A shiftworker.
7. •
   (US) A switcher or shunter: a railroad locomotive used for shunting.
8. •
   A word whose meaning changes depending on the situation, as by deixis.
9. •
   Ellipsis of reality shifter.
10. •
    (old-fashioned) Someone who plays tricks; a trickster.

    • 'Twas such a shifter, that if truth were known, / Death was half glad when he had got him down — 1646
11. •
    A wire for changing a loop from one needle to another, as in narrowing, etc.
12. •
    An assistant to the ship's cook in washing, soaking, and shifting the salt provisions.
13. •
    (historical) A person employed to repair the horseways and other passages, and keep them unobstructed.