Can in dirty place be sparse (6)
I believe the answer is:
scanty
'sparse' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'can in dirty place' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'dirty place' becomes 'sty' (I've seen this in other clues).
'can' placed inside 'sty' is 'SCANTY'.
'be' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for scanty that I've seen before include "Meagre, deficient" , "brief" , "Inadequate" , "Spare" , "Give (to a good cause)" .)