In the past he received many a present (5)
I believe the answer is:
there
'a present' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'in the past he received many' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'THERE' is hidden within 'past he received many'.
(Other definitions for there that I've seen before include "it may be said to be comforting" , "comforting word" , "Yonder" , "In position" , "It's said to convey sympathy" .)