RWY INCURSION WHEN THE FLT CREW OF A CRJ200 CROSSES RWY 17R DURING AN ALLEGED CONFUSION OF GND CTLR CLRNC AT DEN.

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WE LANDED ON RWY 17L AND CLRED AT THE P4 HIGH SPD. WE WERE THEN GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS BY GND CTL TO TAXI ON TXWY P TO EC; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 17R; AND CALL APCHING RWY 17R. WE CALLED APCHING RWY 17R AND HELD SHORT. ATC THEN INSTRUCTED US TO CONTINUE ON EC AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY M. THE CLRNC WAS READ BACK. THE FO AND I BOTH LOOKED AND CALLED CLR L AND R THEN CROSSED RWY 17R AND HELD SHORT OF TXWY M. THERE WAS A B737 HOLDING IN POS ON RWY 17R. WE HELD SHORT OF TXWY M FOR APPROX 3-4 MINS WHEN ATC ASKED WHO WAS HOLDING ON EC AND TXWY M. WE RESPONDED AND ATC SAID THAT WE HAD NOT RECEIVED A CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 17R. IT WAS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CROSS RWY 17R AND THE FO STATED SO. ATC REPEATED THAT WE WERE NOT CLRED TO CROSS AT WHICH TIME I CAME ON AND REPEATED THE CLRNC THAT ATC HAD GIVEN US. THERE WAS NO FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE ISSUE AND WE WERE THEN GIVEN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO THE GATE. THE TXWYS WERE CONGESTED AND GND CTL WAS VERY BUSY. WHEN ATC ISSUED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTINUE ON EC; WHICH CROSSES RWY 17R; HE DIDN'T SAY CLRED TO CROSS. WE IMMEDIATELY READ BACK THE CLRNC. TO ME IT DIDN'T SEEM COMPLETELY CLR BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE CLRNC WAS PHRASED. BUT; WE READ BACK THE CLRNC AND THE ACFT IN POS WAS HOLDING; IT WAS CLR IN FRONT OF US; AND THERE WAS A SENSE OF URGENCY FROM THE CTLR. MAYBE IT WAS JUST BECAUSE HE WAS VERY BUSY AND NEEDED TO MOVE ON TO ANOTHER ACFT AND SET OF INSTRUCTIONS. ATC MAY HAVE SAID CONTINUE ON EC AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 17R WHICH SOUNDS A LITTLE LIKE HOLD SHORT OF TXWY M. IN THE FUTURE I SHOULD LISTEN FOR THE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS TO CROSS RWY 17R INSTEAD OF CONTINUE AS A CLRNC TO CROSS AN ACTIVE RWY.