The word khāliq can sometimes be used for measuring, shaping, or fashioning. The theological dispute, however, concerns creation in the strict sense of truly originating existence. One should not transfer a conclusion from an ordinary usage of the word to an unrestricted theological meaning.
Terms such as mūjid (one who brings into existence) and mukhtariʿ (originator) also arise in this argument. Calling a servant a creator in the absolute sense reserved for God would undermine divine uniqueness. Yet saying that a person writes, makes, or builds something need not assert independent creation from nothing.
The central question is what sort of agency a particular expression attributes, rather than the bare presence of the word 'make' or 'create'.