The short answer is no, they are not the same.
For the long answer I will break my answer up into three parts. The first will cover terminology, the second will discuss switching a light from two points and the third will cover extending that to more than two points..
A disclaimer: this answer covers traditional mechanical switches, dimmers and "intelligent" switches may use other wiring methods.
There are three different types of switch used in the switching of lighting. The principles are the same on both sides of the pond, but unfortunately the terminology is not.
The first is what British electricians call a one-way switch, American electricians call a two-way switch and electronics guys like myself call a SPST switch. This is a simple on-off switch and is used when there is only one switch controlling the light.
The second is what British electricians call a two-way switch, American Electricians call a three-way switch and electronics guys call a SPDT switch. This is a changeover switch, it has a common terminal which depending on the switch position is connected to one of the other terminals.
The third is what British electricians call an intermediate switch and American electricians call a four-way switch. This essentially acts as a cross-over switch, it has two pairs of terminals and the pairs can be connected either straight-through or crossed-over.
Ok, so how do we use two switches to control the same light? There are basically three methods but one of them has safety issues that mean it is not recommended. All of them use two SPDT switches.
The first method is the simplest to understand. The permanent live is fed into the common terminal of one switch. The light is fed from the common terminal of the other switch. The other terminals of the switches are joined together by the "travelers". When both switches are switched to the same traveler the light is on, when they are switched to different travelers the light is off.
The second method connects all three terminals on one switch to the corresponding terminals on the other switch. One of the non-common terminals is connected to the permanent live while the other feeds the light. When both switches are switched to the incoming live or both are switched to the light then the light is off, when one switch is switched to the incoming live and the other is switched to the light then the light is on.
The third method is to use the switches to switch between live and neutral. The light is connected between the commons of the switches and then the other terminals of the switches are connected to live and neutral. When the light gets two lives or two neutrals it is off, when it gets one live and one neutral it is on. This method is NOT recommended because it can leave the light "off but live" and because it can cause shorts if the switches do not reliably "break before make". As such this method is not recommended (and may well be against regulations, but I have no idea what the regulations are where you live so I can't give advice on that).
To extend the system to more than two locations an "intermediate" switch is needed. This swaps over the two non-common terminals, so the light is on when it would otherwise be on and vice-versa. It can be used to extend any of the schemes mentioned above (though as-before the third scheme is not recommended).