PAY is a hinge word: 2 words make a compound in front of it and 6 make one after it, so it can sit in the middle of a chain and hold two compounds together at once.
Each of these makes a compound ending in PAY.
Each of these makes a compound starting with PAY.
PAY only ever leads. PAYBACK, PAYCHECK, PAYDAY, PAYOFF and PAYOUT are five different shapes of the same transaction: the debt, the paper, the date, the settlement and the sum.
Put any word from the first list in front and any word from the second behind, and you have a three-word chain in which both neighbouring pairs join. Here are some of them.
OVER → PAY → BACK — overpay and paybackUNDER → PAY → CHECK — underpay and paycheckKEYSTONE 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 · CROSS · 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 · POINT · POST · POWER · ROOM · RUN · SET · SHIP · SIDE · SOME · STEP · SUN · TAKE · TIME · TURN · UNDER · WALK · WARD · WATER · WAY · WOOD · WORK