I did write earlier "When connecting the condenser to the LT and points, take care to have the plastic insulators positioned correctly.". The tests that I described above will confirm that all is connected correctly, and the links that myoldjalopy and I provided will give some excellent assistance.
As to the meter, if its a fairly standard multimeter then it will have a rotating switch that allows you to select different functions. The simplest is DC volts, that you must have already found if you are reporting 12v readings
DC is what we use on a car. Typically the switch will allow for different ranges such as 0-5, 0-20, 0-250 etc. For greatest accuracy, use the lowest range that has the maximum higher than the volts that you are measuring. For example, with an expected 12v use the 0-20 range.
You might have a set of scales for AC volts, this is for mains electrical stuff, do not go there!
Resistance is measured in ohms, and will be another scale that you can select. When you first switch to it with nothing connected, the display will read "1" or infinity. This means that there is no connection or continuity between the probes. Now touch the probes together. The eading will change to zero meaning that there is a connection, You can now apply the same test on the car. One probe on the battery earth terminal and the other on the dizzy cap should give 1. Move the second probe to the radiator, display changes to zero. The dizzy cap is plastic and so there is no connection, the radiator is metal and bolted to the body, so there is a connection. In advanced work, we would be interested in more precise readings, but for now, 0 or 1 is all you need to worry about. Hope that helps.
Report back on reasults on tests for further advice.