Answers for Daily #18

The starting word was

First moves

16 words are one letter away from BONE.

CONE: noun A surface of revolution formed by rotating a segment of a line around another line that intersects the first line.
DONE: adjective Having completed or finished an activity.
GONE: verb past participle of go
HONE: noun A sharpening stone composed of extra-fine grit used for removing the burr or curl from the blade of a razor or some other edge tool.
LONE: adjective Solitary; having no companion.
NONE: pronoun Not any of a given number or group.

Also: PONE, TONE, ZONE, BANE, BODE, BOLE, BORE, BOND, BONG, BONY

BONE → CONE → CODE → CEDE

Once the words before it are used, nobody can change CEDE: a dead end, worth 3 extra points.

Every Daily hides one golden word a few moves from the start. This one was HOST.

From BONE, 2,140 words can be reached one letter at a time.

Definitions from Wiktionary