Polynemus multifilis is a medium-sized species of threadfin which attains a maximum standard length of 28 centimetres (11 in).

The lateral line contains 83-99 pored scales and is simple, it starts at the upper margin of the gill slit and extends to the middle of the caudal fin.

This species is absent from the Kapuas River where the endemic Polynemus kapuasensis appears to replace it.

[3] Polynemus multifilis is found in freshwater rivers where there is a sandy or muddy substrate.

[3] Polynemus multifilis was first formally described in 1843 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel with the type locality being given as near Banjarmasin on Borneo.