Display omitted •A simple, multi-responsive and AIE active colorimetric and fluorescent probe ADC has been developed.•ADC showed high selectivity and sensitivity for rapid detection of Zn2+, Cu2+ and CN− with low detection limits.•The sensing mechanisms of the sensor ADC for Zn2+, Cu2+ and CN− were proposed.•ADC was used to detect and quantify Zn2+, Cu2+ and CN− ions in real water samples.•ADC was successfully applied to detect CN− in food samples. A new simple and multi-responsive colorimetric and fluorescent probe with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic has been designed and synthesized. The probe 1-(((3-(tert-butyl)-2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzylidene)hydrazono)methyl)- naphthalen-2-ol ADC showed turn-on fluorescent response to zinc and cyanide ions (Zn2+ and CN−) and fluorescence quenching behavior to copper ion (Cu2+), which induces obvious naked-eye color changes, respectively. Probe ADC exhibited superb selectivity and swift sensitivity for simultaneous detection of Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions with excellent anti-interference capability over other common ions over a wide pH range (1–12). The probe ADC for Cu2+/Zn2+/CN− detection displayed fast response time (≤40 s) and low detection limits of 1.6 × 10−6, 1.3 × 10−8 and 8.1 × 10−7 M, respectively. The sensing mechanisms were confirmed by 1H NMR titration, FT-IR spectrum, Job’s plot analyses and TD-DFT theoretical calculations. Importantly, probe ADC could be used to detect and quantify Cu2+, Zn2+ and CN− in real water samples with a high precision and good accuracy. Moreover, the probe ADC was applied to the fast detection of CN− in bitter seeds, cassava, sprouting potato, revealing its great potential for practical applications in our daily life and health science. Importantly, this work provides a simple and effective approach with economically cheap and less complicated synthetic route for selective, sensitive and quantitative detection of multiple targets of Zn2+, Cu2+ and CN− ions in the environment and health systems.