What is the use of the measurement range in a multimeter?

Answer 1

With today's auto-ranging meters, you might well ask why. Today meters do that for you, and you might see it happening on some of them.

In older meters, analog types in particular, you had to start with a higher range to be sure you didn't peg the meter measuring say, 220 volts when on the 10 volt scale. Lots of meters where toasted this way, their needles bent, or fuses blown by overcurrent. On higher ranges, the meter would deflect slightly, indicating there was voltage there, but not enough to get a accurate reading. So you scale down until hopefully you get a reading somewhere in mid scale, where the most accurate reading can be made.

So the use was to protect the meter from damage, and provide the most accurate reading possible from an analog meter.