diff --git a/pandas/core/indexes/multi.py b/pandas/core/indexes/multi.py
index f1e1ebcaca1c4..dfb329b3ddbdf 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexes/multi.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexes/multi.py
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ def _verify_integrity(
         return new_codes
 
     @classmethod
-    def from_arrays(cls, arrays, sortorder=None, names=lib.no_default):
+    def from_arrays(cls, arrays, sortorder=None, names=lib.no_default) -> "MultiIndex":
         """
         Convert arrays to MultiIndex.
 
diff --git a/pandas/core/reshape/pivot.py b/pandas/core/reshape/pivot.py
index c8d5eecf0e496..ea5916eff3afa 100644
--- a/pandas/core/reshape/pivot.py
+++ b/pandas/core/reshape/pivot.py
@@ -1,7 +1,18 @@
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Callable, Dict, List, Tuple, Union
+from typing import (
+    TYPE_CHECKING,
+    Callable,
+    Dict,
+    List,
+    Optional,
+    Sequence,
+    Tuple,
+    Union,
+    cast,
+)
 
 import numpy as np
 
+from pandas._typing import Label
 from pandas.util._decorators import Appender, Substitution
 
 from pandas.core.dtypes.cast import maybe_downcast_to_dtype
@@ -424,19 +435,22 @@ def _convert_by(by):
 
 @Substitution("\ndata : DataFrame")
 @Appender(_shared_docs["pivot"], indents=1)
-def pivot(data: "DataFrame", index=None, columns=None, values=None) -> "DataFrame":
+def pivot(
+    data: "DataFrame",
+    index: Optional[Union[Label, Sequence[Label]]] = None,
+    columns: Optional[Union[Label, Sequence[Label]]] = None,
+    values: Optional[Union[Label, Sequence[Label]]] = None,
+) -> "DataFrame":
     if columns is None:
         raise TypeError("pivot() missing 1 required argument: 'columns'")
-    columns = columns if is_list_like(columns) else [columns]
+
+    columns = com.convert_to_list_like(columns)
 
     if values is None:
-        cols: List[str] = []
-        if index is None:
-            pass
-        elif is_list_like(index):
-            cols = list(index)
+        if index is not None:
+            cols = com.convert_to_list_like(index)
         else:
-            cols = [index]
+            cols = []
         cols.extend(columns)
 
         append = index is None
@@ -444,10 +458,9 @@ def pivot(data: "DataFrame", index=None, columns=None, values=None) -> "DataFram
     else:
         if index is None:
             index = [Series(data.index, name=data.index.name)]
-        elif is_list_like(index):
-            index = [data[idx] for idx in index]
         else:
-            index = [data[index]]
+            index = com.convert_to_list_like(index)
+            index = [data[idx] for idx in index]
 
         data_columns = [data[col] for col in columns]
         index.extend(data_columns)
@@ -455,6 +468,7 @@ def pivot(data: "DataFrame", index=None, columns=None, values=None) -> "DataFram
 
         if is_list_like(values) and not isinstance(values, tuple):
             # Exclude tuple because it is seen as a single column name
+            values = cast(Sequence[Label], values)
             indexed = data._constructor(
                 data[values]._values, index=index, columns=values
             )