Clipping Mask for Bulk Images - Actions

One of the problems why you are getting always exactly the same image clipped is probably because you have recorded in first two steps (open steps) which exactly file and image to open and Photoshop is always opening same template and the same image.

You can try to record action without a first open step, so keep template open in Photoshop. Record other steps with additional step to close document after copying image. Here are the steps which you should record (I have tested and I get batch to work):

Open (image, not template. Template should be already open in Photoshop before running Batch)

Set Selection

Copy

Close

Paste

Create clipping mask

Save

Delete current layer

In the Batch dialog check Override Action Open commands. I will guess that you have checked and Override Action Save As Commands.

Good luck!

Update: there are a couple of assumptions done which may lead to action fail: step Copy which comes after Set Selection (Select All) will always work when only Background layer/single layer is present in the file, otherwise Copy Merged will do the job. Another assumption is that proper layer in the Layers panel is selected before running Batch (the layer above which you want to paste copied image). Another option that will work is that none of layers is selected but layer to which you want to clip copied and pasted image is on top of the layer's stack.