CROSS is a one-sided word. It heads 5 compounds in this list and finishes none of them, so it can start a chain but never sit in the middle of one.
Each of these makes a compound starting with CROSS.
CROSS never follows. It heads five compounds in this list and finishes none of them, and in nearly all of them the sense is not the shape but the verb: a CROSSWALK, CROSSFIRE and CROSSOVER all go athwart something. English took it from Latin crux by way of Old Irish cros, which is why it kept the hard c.
KEYSTONE is a free daily puzzle built entirely out of chains like these. You get the two ends and have to fill the two words in the middle. Three bridges a day, no account, no cookies.
Each of these has a page like this one. There is also an index of all 60.
AWAY · BACK · BALL · BED · BLACK · BOARD · BOAT · BOOK · BOY · BREAK · CHECK · DAY · DOOR · DOWN · FALL · FATHER · FIRE · FOOT · GROUND · GUARD · GUN · HAND · HEAD · HOOD · HOUSE · LAND · LESS · LIFE · LIGHT · LINE · LOAD · MAN · MOTHER · NIGHT · OFF · OUT · OVER · PAY · POINT · POST · POWER · ROOM · RUN · SET · SHIP · SIDE · SOME · STEP · SUN · TAKE · TIME · TURN · UNDER · WALK · WARD · WATER · WAY · WOOD · WORK