@silhouette,
I don't know how you "should" tell the difference--you're using the wrong verb.
What is the difference between a highway, a freeway, an expressway and a turnpike? Here's an explanation of the differences:
Highway means a major road, usually one connecting towns and cities, or major regions within a large city.
Freeway means a highway for which one does not have to pay a toll to use the road.
Expressway means the same thing as a highway, but emphasizes that it is fast because it does not connect to side streets in a town or city.
Turnpike means a toll road--centuries ago, an attendant sat by the entrance to such a highway, and a pike--a long, spear-like weapon with an axhead on the business end--barred entry until the toll was paid. Pay the toll, and the attendant turns the pike so that you can enter the highway. The term is what we call a survival--a word used long after the original meaning no longer applies. These days, most people would just say a toll road.