Cant figure out overlapping buttons?

Hi! I am new to flash and am trying to build a crossword puzzle. Each word is a button and I want the buttons rollover state to be yellow. When I create two buttons that intersect. One buttons rollover state is fine. However, the second button where the words intersect remains white because one of the buttons is on top if it on its up state. Is there a way to disable a button when another is rolled over? Or is there a way to bring a button to the front? I have attached some images to to give you a better idea of what I am reffering too.

Thanks so much for your help! Im baffled