The importance of emphasis in a spoken sentence

"I didn't say you stole the money."

Depending on the word you put emphasis on, one sentence can have 7 different meanings with no actual changes in the written words.

"*I* didn't say you stole the money." - he said it
"I *didn't* say you stole the money." - rejects the accusation
"I didn't *say* you stole the money." - I implied it
"I didn't say *you* stole the money." - mistaken identity
"I didn't say you *stole* the money." - it may have been misplaced
"I didn't say you stole *the* money." - just money in general
"I didn't say you stole the *money*." - just everything else


I never thought about how important the right emphasis can be. :)