This is the 10122nd most frequent Japanese word.
配り
"配り" means "distribution" or "the act of distributing."
In this sentence, '配り' (kubari) is used as the stem of the verb '配る' (kubaru), which means 'to distribute' or 'to hand out'. Here, it refers to the action of physically giving out flyers to people.
彼はチラシを配り始めました。
He started distributing flyers.
In this context, '配りました' (kubarimashita) is the past tense of '配る' (kubaru), indicating a completed action of giving out or distributing homework.
先生は生徒に宿題を配りました。
The teacher handed out homework to the students.
Here, '配られていました' (kubarareteimashita) is the passive form of '配る' (kubaru) in past continuous tense, used to show that the action of distribution was actively happening at a point in the past.