B767 CREW RETURNING TO THE GATE WAS GIVEN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS THAT WOULD PUT IT NOSE-TO-NOSE WITH ANOTHER ACFT.

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DUE TO A PAX PROB WE WERE REQUIRED TO RETURN TO THE GATE. WHEN WE WERE CLRED TO EXPEDITE A XING OF RWY 27R ON TXWY N. INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO 'CROSS RWY 27R; TURN R ON TXWY K TO SPOT X; FOLLOW COMPANY.' SPOT X WOULD HAVE BEEN TO OUR L; SO I READ BACK; 'L TURN ON TXWY K TO SPOT X?' AS A QUESTION. THE PRIOR LNDG ON RWY 27R WAS A B737 THAT WAS 'PROBABLY' CONFUSED AS 'COMPANY' TO FOLLOW. AS WE CROSSED RWY 27R ON TXWY N; B737 CLRED RWY 27R ON TXWY K4; THEN TURNED R ON TXWY K. AS THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A NOSE-TO-NOSE WITH THE B737 THAT HAD STOPPED ON TXWY K; WE STOPPED TO GET CLARIFICATION. I SAW TFC ON SHORT FINAL; INFORMED THE CAPT; THEN THE GND CTLR THAT WE WERE MOVING FORWARD TO CLR THE RWY COMPLETELY (PASS THE HOLD SHORT LINE). THE TFC ON SHORT FINAL WENT AROUND AND WE WERE GIVEN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS 'TXWY K3; RWY 27R; TXWY K4.' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE GND CTLR TO RERTE THE ACFT BACK ON THE RWY TO REMOVE THE CONFLICT. HE SAID IT WAS DARK AND THE SIT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN INITIALLY NOTICED BY THE CTLR.