We report a spectroscopic study of 19 photometric variables and 55 blue, yellow, and red straggler candidates in the field of omega Centauri. We confirm the cluster membership of 18 variables and 54 straggler candidates. Velocity variations are detected in 22 objects, and another 17 objects are suspected to be velocity-variable. The velocities of 11 objects vary consistently with their photometric periods, allowing their mass functions to be calculated. Among them, we find no indication of the presence of a massive degenerate component. On the basis of both photometric and spectroscopic data, we estimate that the fraction of binaries among blue stragglers may be as high as 69 per cent.