So many different ways can be used to measure distance that they're practically countless. Of course a tape measure can be used, but larger distances can be measured by GPS, by reflecting a laser off a distant mirror and timing how long it takes to come back (we measure distance to the Moon this way because we know the speed of light), you can use trigonometry if you have a means to measure angles, you can use a lens to focus on a distant point and compute the distance by the focal length of the lens, you can use a surveyor's transit. The list goes on and on and on.