MD80 HAD CLRNC CONFUSION IN ORD CLASS B BECAUSE OF TFC DENSITY AND APCH CTLR STAFFING.

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WE WERE ON APCH TO RWY 22R IN OHARE INTL. WE WERE BEING VECTORED TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. OUR HEADING WAS 310 DEGS AT AN ALT OF 3000 FT. THE CTLR TOLD US TO TURN TO A HEADING OF 250 DEGS AND INTERCEPT THE FINAL APCH COURSE TO RWY 22R. HE WAS IMMEDIATELY ANSWERED BY AN ACR Y ACFT THAT ACKNOWLEDGED THE APCH CLRNC. HE DID NOT CORRECT THE ACR Y FLT. WE TURNED INBOUND TO INTERCEPT THE COURSE AND COULD NOT ASK ABOUT THE CLRNC BECAUSE OF THE HVY VOLUME ON THE RADIO. WHEN WE FINALLY TOLD THE CTLR THAT WE THOUGHT SOMEONE ELSE HAD ANSWERED OUR CALL; ACR Y ANSWERED AGAIN AND SAID 'YES; WE DID; WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO ABOUT IT?' BEFORE THE CTLR COULD RESPOND AND BLOCKING THE CTLR. FINALLY THE CTLR ANSWERED AND ASKED US IF WE WERE 'TURNING BACK NOW?' WE THOUGHT HE MEANT BACK TO THE 310 DEG HDG; SO WE STARTED TO TURN ON THE LOC COURSE TO THAT HEADING. HE THEN SAID 'OH; I SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW; TURN L TO 210 DEGS; MAINTAIN 2000 FT; CLRED FOR THE APCH?' AFTER WE WERE AGAIN ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC; HE TOLD US WE WERE TOO CLOSE TO THE HVY BEHIND US AND VECTORED US AROUND AGAIN FOR ANOTHER APCH. FAR TOO MUCH CONGESTION ON RADIO. TOO MANY ACFT BEING CTLED ON 1 FREQ. 1 CTLR CTLING TOO MANY ACFT ON 1 FREQ. 3 RWYS FOR APCH. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 540322: ON THE EVENING OF 03/FRI/02; I WAS FO ON FLT XXX OPERATING TO CHICAGO O'HARE (ORD). WE WERE ON A HEADING OF 310 DEGS AT 3000 FT AND BEING VECTORED BY APCH FOR THE ILS RWY 22R. WE THEN HEARD THE CTLR ISSUE THE FOLLOWING CLRNC; '...TURN L HEADING 250 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC RWY 22R.' THE CAPT WHO WAS FLYING BEGAN TURNING TO 250 DEGS TO INTERCEPT. BEFORE I COULD ANSWER WITH THE READBACK; AN ACR Y ACFT MISTAKENLY READ BACK OUR CLRNC. THE CTLR NEVER CORRECTED THE ACR Y PLT; THEREFORE; I CALLED FOR CONFIRMATION THAT THE CLRNC REALLY WAS FOR US. THE FIRST CALL WAS BLOCKED; HOWEVER; ON THE SECOND CALL; I STATED THAT ANOTHER ACFT ANSWERED OUR CLRNC AND TO CONFIRM THAT 250 DEG HDG WAS FOR US. BEFORE THE CTLR COULD ANSWER; ACR Y STATED; 'THAT WAS US; WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO DO NOW?' THE NEXT THING THE CTLR SAID WAS TO ASK US IF WE WERE 'TURNING BACK NOW.' BY THIS TIME; WE HAD JUST INTERCEPTED THE LOC; SO WE ASSUMED HE MEANT 'TURNING BACK' TO THE 310 DEG HDG AND THAT THE ORIGINAL CLRNC HADN'T BEEN FOR US. WE INITIATED A TURN TO THE R TO GO BACK TO 310 DEGS; AND THE CTLR SAID; 'I SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW; GO BACK L TO 210 DEGS TO INTERCEPT; 2000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED AND CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 22R. AS WE NEARED THE LOC AGAIN; AND STARTED OUR DSCNT FROM 3000 FT TO 2000 FT; THE CTLR STATED THAT OUR SEPARATION WAS NOT ADEQUATE NOW FOR THE HVY BEHIND US; AND TURNED US R TO A N HEADING AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT. HE THEN SEQUENCED US BEHIND THE HVY AND WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I BELIEVE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THIS SIT WAS FREQ CONGESTION SINCE IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONFIRM OUR CLRNC. ALSO; I BELIEVE THE CTLR'S WORKLOAD WAS EXCESSIVE FOR SO MANY ACFT. HE WAS THE ONLY APCH CTLR WE TALKED TO FROM THE ARR THROUGH THE APCH. AT SOME ARPTS; SUCH AS LAGUARDIA (LGA); THE APCH CTLR WORKING ARRS SWITCHES YOU TO A FINAL APCH CTLR WORKING ONLY APCHS. I BELIEVE THAT SOLUTION WOULD HELP IF USED IN ORD.