If you just watch the movie, and don’t read outside material. The only context you get is:

• Palpatine literally made Snoke.
• He has multiple clones of Snoke.
• He says he’s been EVERY voice in Kylo’s head, and even says it in Snoke’s voice. It didn’t seem like he meant it figuratively.

I mean, you could’ve argued “I made Snoke” was figurative, like he helped Snoke become the powerful Supreme Leader, but then we see literal vats of Snoke’s.

I think the novelization takes a different direction than the movie implies in a few places. Like Palpatine himself. The state of his body makes you think that is Palpatine’s actual body, with the dead eyes and the broken, stitched together hands. Using a giant mechanical apparatus to try and keep what’s left of him alive. But then the novel says it is a clone body.

I don’t know. It just seems like instead of picking one explanation for anything, they vaguely hinted at multiple explanations so the audience could fill in the gaps themselves. I don’t know if that was a benefit or a detriment.

EDIT: I don’t necessarily have strong feelings either way about Snoke or Palpatine, but I think it would be worth trying to provide a little clarification regarding them, and I think trying to determine the simplest explanation might be the best way to do it. As of now, it is all too vague to me.