Personally , I have one which probably does everything up to and including solving the question of Life , the Universe and Everything but , there are about 3 functions which I know how to use and do regularly 1 . Continuity test There tells you if point A and point B are connected electrically . Attach the leads to the correct ports on the multimieter indicated in the user manual , you did read that right ? and simply touch the leads to two unpowered points in a circuit . If they are connected , the multimeter beeps . If not , it doesn ' t . I also recommend just tapping the leads together once before you start to verify the multimeter is working . It should beep when the leads touch always test your test equipment . 2 . ACDC Voltage There will be two sections for this on the selection dial , one area is AC voltage the other is DC voltage . The numbers on the dial are for scale . If you are expecting 120 volts AC , select the 100 in the AC voltage area . Then make damned sure you aren ' t touching the metal on the leads touching the metal on the leads while testing is bad , m ' kay . Touch one lead to the positive or hot side of the circuit , touch the other lead to the circuit ' s ground . The display will show you the voltage potential between the two points if you get it backwards , ~~ the universe implodes ~~ you get a negative number . For example , with a standard household wall socket , set the multimeter to the AC voltage setting . Then carefully , not touching the metal on the leads , stick one lead in one side of the socket , and the other lead in the other side . You should get a reading which represents 120 VAC assuming you ' re in the US . 3 . ACDC Amperage This is really the only tricky function in my mind . This tells you the amount of current amperage flowing through a location in a circuit . Again , the different numbers in this area represent scale . Select the type of voltage ACDC . While the circuit is unpowered , you need to wire the multimeter in line series , not parallel with the branch of the circuit you want to test . I . e . the leads are treated as two ends of the same wire , and that wire needs to be part of the circuit you are testing . When the circuit is powered , the display tells you the current being drawn through the circuit . Some multimeters have other functions but , those are the basics . Mine actually has a contatctless voltage tester , which is very nice to have . If you are unsure of yourself , start with a cheap one . When you blow it out , you won ' t care as much . Just be careful , keep your mitts off the metal , and always turn off the breaker when working on a circuit and test for power . Getting hit by standard 120 VAC from a wall socket probably won ' t kill you but , it ' ll tickle you pretty well . Now , if you open up your breaker box , be very careful , there are places in them where touching them will kill you and it will hurt an awful lot while you ' re dying .