diff --git a/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py b/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
index 15a5ae92a..d95394efc 100644
--- a/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
+++ b/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
@@ -444,6 +444,10 @@ def _collect_pipeline_files(repo, targets: List[str], props, onerror=None):
         if isinstance(dvcfile, PipelineFile):
             dvcfile_path = _relpath(repo.dvcfs, dvcfile.path)
             dvcfile_defs = dvcfile.load().get("plots", {})
+            if isinstance(dvcfile_defs, list):
+                dvcfile_defs = {
+                    k: v for elem in dvcfile_defs for k, v in elem.items()
+                }
             resolved = _resolve_definitions(
                 repo.dvcfs,
                 targets,
diff --git a/dvc/schema.py b/dvc/schema.py
index 5b5c24baf..191e67eea 100644
--- a/dvc/schema.py
+++ b/dvc/schema.py
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ PLOT_DEFINITION = {
     Output.PARAM_PLOT_TITLE: str,
     Output.PARAM_PLOT_TEMPLATE: str,
 }
-PLOTS_SCHEMA = {str: Any(PLOT_DEFINITION, None)}
+SINGLE_PLOT_SCHEMA = {str: Any(PLOT_DEFINITION, None)}
 FOREACH_IN = {
     Required(FOREACH_KWD): Any(dict, list, str),
     Required(DO_KWD): STAGE_DEFINITION,
@@ -127,9 +127,9 @@ SINGLE_PIPELINE_STAGE_SCHEMA = {
     str: either_or(STAGE_DEFINITION, FOREACH_IN, [FOREACH_KWD, DO_KWD])
 }
 MULTI_STAGE_SCHEMA = {
+    PLOTS: Any(SINGLE_PLOT_SCHEMA, [SINGLE_PLOT_SCHEMA]),
     STAGES: SINGLE_PIPELINE_STAGE_SCHEMA,
     VARS_KWD: VARS_SCHEMA,
-    PLOTS: PLOTS_SCHEMA,
 }
 
 COMPILED_SINGLE_STAGE_SCHEMA = Schema(SINGLE_STAGE_SCHEMA)
diff --git a/tests/func/test_dvcfile.py b/tests/func/test_dvcfile.py
index 5ec903da9..9b2f6b88f 100644
--- a/tests/func/test_dvcfile.py
+++ b/tests/func/test_dvcfile.py
@@ -15,6 +15,16 @@ from dvc.stage.exceptions import StageFileDoesNotExistError
 from dvc.stage.loader import StageNotFound
 from dvc.utils.strictyaml import YAMLValidationError
 
+STAGE_EXAMPLE = {
+    "stage1": {
+        "cmd": "cp foo bar",
+        "desc": "stage desc",
+        "meta": {"key1": "value1", "key2": "value2"},
+        "deps": ["foo"],
+        "outs": [{"bar": {"desc": "bar desc", "meta": {"key": "value"}}}],
+    }
+}
+
 
 def test_run_load_one_for_multistage(tmp_dir, dvc):
     tmp_dir.gen("foo", "foo")
@@ -386,19 +396,7 @@ def test_dvcfile_try_dumping_parametrized_stage(tmp_dir, dvc, data, name):
 
 
 def test_dvcfile_load_dump_stage_with_desc_meta(tmp_dir, dvc):
-    data = {
-        "stages": {
-            "stage1": {
-                "cmd": "cp foo bar",
-                "desc": "stage desc",
-                "meta": {"key1": "value1", "key2": "value2"},
-                "deps": ["foo"],
-                "outs": [
-                    {"bar": {"desc": "bar desc", "meta": {"key": "value"}}}
-                ],
-            }
-        }
-    }
+    data = {"stages": STAGE_EXAMPLE}
     (tmp_dir / "dvc.yaml").dump(data)
 
     stage = dvc.stage.load_one(name="stage1")
@@ -411,3 +409,34 @@ def test_dvcfile_load_dump_stage_with_desc_meta(tmp_dir, dvc):
     # sanity check
     stage.dump()
     assert (tmp_dir / "dvc.yaml").parse() == data
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "data",
+    (
+        {
+            "plots": {
+                "path/to/plot": {"x": "value", "y": "value"},
+                "path/to/another/plot": {"x": "value", "y": "value"},
+            },
+            "stages": STAGE_EXAMPLE,
+        },
+        {
+            "plots": [
+                {"path/to/plot": {"x": "value", "y": "value"}},
+                {"path/to/another/plot": {"x": "value", "y": "value"}},
+            ],
+            "stages": STAGE_EXAMPLE,
+        },
+    ),
+)
+def test_dvcfile_load_with_plots(tmp_dir, dvc, data):
+    (tmp_dir / "dvc.yaml").dump(data)
+    plots = list(dvc.plots.collect())
+    top_level_plots = plots[0]["workspace"]["definitions"]["data"]["dvc.yaml"][
+        "data"
+    ]
+    assert all(
+        name in top_level_plots
+        for name in ("path/to/plot", "path/to/another/plot")
+    )