The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word UNDECAGON
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
U
N
D
E
C
A
G
O
N
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "There are many sides to this" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case there are many sides to this = undecagon.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does UNDECAGON mean?
UNDECAGON noun- A polygon with eleven sides and eleven angles.