Simple:
* The dishes clattered in the sink as she washed them.
* The old train clattered along the tracks.
Figurative:
* His words clattered like a broken record, repeating the same complaints over and over.
* The news of the scandal clattered through the halls of power.
Descriptive:
* The clatter of hooves on the cobblestones echoed down the empty street.
* The clatter of falling rocks filled the air as the mountainside crumbled.
In a dialogue:
* "Stop that clattering! I'm trying to concentrate!" she yelled.
* "What's all that clatter coming from the kitchen?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.