You can also loop over a variable list.
From vars:
favorite_snacks:
- hotdog
- ice cream
- chips
and then the loop:
- name: create directories for storing my snacks
file: path=/etc/snacks/{{ item }} state=directory
with_items: '{{ favorite_snacks }}'
If you are using Ansible 2.0+ you must use quotes around the call to the variable.