eke, eek

Eke or eke is most commonly used in the phrase "eke out", meaning to acquire through struggle--
They managed to eke out a living through long hours of work, even on weekends.
The old man hoped to eke out a living selling hats and umbrellas to the tourists.

Eek or eek ( rhymes with eke ) means a cry of fright or alarm--
Eek! A mouse!
Eek! What was that?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Eek! How will they eke out a living until his leg gets better?"

Note--"eke" is also an archaic ( no longer used ) word meaning "also"--
"The bird, the beast, the fish eke of the sea..."