Place keeping masks etc in pawn (6)
I believe the answer is:
puppet
'pawn' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'place keeping masks etc' is the wordplay.
'place' becomes 'put' (synonyms).
'keeping' is an insertion indicator.
'masks etc' becomes 'PPE' (personal protective equipment).
'put' enclosing 'ppe' is 'PUPPET'.
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for puppet that I've seen before include "eg Sooty; Petrushka" , "Doll on a string or rod" , "Doll controlled by strings" , "Marionette - poodle" , "Small figure of a person operated with strings" .)