MULTIPLE RWY OP PARALLEL RWYS APCH'S ACR X MADE WRONG RWY APCH. PLTDEV.

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ACR X WAS BEING VECTORED FOR APCH TO 31R; CLRED TO INTERCEPT LOC AND CONTACT TWR. I CALLED TWR AND RPTED APCHING MALDE. SOON AFTER; TWR ADVISED ACFT HAD FLOWN THROUGH LOC; 'TURN L;' THEN 'CONTINUE L TURN; CLB TO 2000 FT; WERE TAKING YOU AROUND.' TWR THOUGHT WE WERE CLRED TO RWY 31L; WE WE'RE IN FACT FLYING TO RWY 31R. WE WENT BACK TO APCH CTL; CAME AROUND AND COMPLETED A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG ON RWY 31L. LOOKING AT THIS INCIDENT WITH HINDSIGHT; I WONDER IF MAYBE OUR CLRNC HAD BEEN RWY 31L. I'VE BEEN TO JFK MANY TIMES AND FROM THIS DIRECTION; ALWAYS LAND RWY 31R. AFTER SETTING THE ATIS; WE SET UP FOR RWY 31R; AND REGARDLESS WHAT THE CTLR ACTUALLY SAID; I MAY HAVE ONLY HEARD RWY '31R' BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I EXPECTED TO HEAR. IF THE ERROR WAS MINE; TWR COULD HAVE PICKED IT UP WHEN I CALLED 'APCHING MALDE.' HOWEVER THE FAF'S ON RWYS 31L AND 31R AT JFK HAVE SIMILAR SOUNDING NAMES. APCHING ON A FIXS ON PARALLEL RWYS SHOULD BE MADE AS DIFFERENT AS POSSIBLE. ONE DIGIT DIFFERENCES IN THE APCH NAMES SUCH AS 17 AND 18 AT DFW HELP TO ALLEVIATE CONFUSION. IF IT WAS A CTLR ERROR AND WE WERE CLRED TO RWY 31R; THEN THE PROBLEM WAS COM BTWN APCH AND TWR. PLTS AND CTLRS GET SET INTO ROUTINES. IF A CTLR ASSIGNS A NON-USUAL APCH; RWY; OR PROC; PERHAPS AN EXTRA CHK SHOULD BE MADE TO INSURE THE PLT UNDERSTANDS.