Pole on the run (5)
I believe the answer is:
roost
'pole' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's a link between them I don't understand?
'on the run' is the wordplay.
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'the' becomes 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects).
'run' becomes 'roos' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
't' put after 'roos' is 'ROOST'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for roost that I've seen before include "In Orkney, the current" , "The cock rules it" , "Perch where bird sleeps" , "Perch on a branch" , "(Of birds) settle for rest" .)