ate, eight, 8

Ate or ate is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "eat"--
There is pizza in the refrigerator. We only ate half of it yesterday.
We ate lunch in the cafeteria.

Eight or eight ( rhymes with ate ) means the number 8--
There are eight slices of pizza.  We can each have two.
Mom said to be home by eight o'clock.
There are twelve questions. We have to get eight of them right to pass.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We ate dinner at eight o'clock.

Note--If you hear someone pronounce "ate" as "et" ( rhymes with get ), he or she is  British. In America  "ate"  rhymes with "eight".

ate, eight, 8

You may have used this while texting, or perhaps you have seen it in a "rebus"--

Ate or ate is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of eat--
We ate already.
We ate at the new restaurant.

Eight or eight ( rhymes with ate ) means 8, the number 8--
There were eight people at the party.
There were 8 people at the party.
The movie is at 8 o'clock.
The movie is at eight o'clock.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Eight of us ate at 8 o'clock."

Note--eighteen is 18---the legal age of adulthood for many purposes--
When I am 18, I will register to vote.
When I am eighteen, I will register to vote.
Eighty is 80--a very old person, or 4x20--
My grandmother is almost 80 years old.
My grandmother is almost eighty years old.