A versatile reagent with a non-nucleotide monomeric unit having a ligand, and first and second coupling groups which are linked to the non-nucleotide monomeric unit. The ligand can be either a chemical moiety, such as a label or intercalator, or a linking arm which can be linked to such a moiety. Such reagent permits preparation of versatile nucleotide/non-nucleotide polymers, having any desired sequence of nucleotide and non-nucleotide monomeric units, each of the latter of which bear a desired ligand. These polymers can for example, be used as probes which can exhibit enhanced sensitivity and/or which are capable of detecting a genus of nucleotides each species of which has a common target nucleotide sequence of interest bridged by different sequences not of interest.