diff --git a/arraycontext/context.py b/arraycontext/context.py
index 398f8aa3..66965ee0 100644
--- a/arraycontext/context.py
+++ b/arraycontext/context.py
@@ -492,7 +492,8 @@ def clone(self: SelfType) -> SelfType:
             "setup-only" array context "leaks" into the application.
         """
 
-    def compile(self, f: Callable[..., Any]) -> Callable[..., Any]:
+    def compile(self, f: Callable[..., Any],
+                single_version_only: bool = False) -> Callable[..., Any]:
         """Compiles *f* for repeated use on this array context. *f* is expected
         to be a `pure function <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_function>`__
         performing an array computation.
@@ -508,6 +509,8 @@ def compile(self, f: Callable[..., Any]) -> Callable[..., Any]:
         it may be called only once (or a few times).
 
         :arg f: the function executing the computation.
+        :arg single_version_only: If *True*, raise an error if *f* is compiled
+            more than once (due to different input argument types).
         :return: a function with the same signature as *f*.
         """
         return f
diff --git a/arraycontext/impl/pytato/__init__.py b/arraycontext/impl/pytato/__init__.py
index e3ce52a7..98eef8c2 100644
--- a/arraycontext/impl/pytato/__init__.py
+++ b/arraycontext/impl/pytato/__init__.py
@@ -632,9 +632,11 @@ def call_loopy(self, program, **kwargs):
 
         return call_loopy(program, processed_kwargs, entrypoint)
 
-    def compile(self, f: Callable[..., Any]) -> Callable[..., Any]:
+    def compile(self, f: Callable[..., Any],
+                single_version_only: bool = False) -> Callable[..., Any]:
         from .compile import LazilyPyOpenCLCompilingFunctionCaller
-        return LazilyPyOpenCLCompilingFunctionCaller(self, f)
+        return LazilyPyOpenCLCompilingFunctionCaller(self,
+                                                     f, single_version_only)
 
     def transform_dag(self, dag: pytato.DictOfNamedArrays
                       ) -> pytato.DictOfNamedArrays:
@@ -846,9 +848,10 @@ def _thaw(ary):
             self._rec_map_container(_thaw, array, self._frozen_array_types),
             actx=self)
 
-    def compile(self, f: Callable[..., Any]) -> Callable[..., Any]:
+    def compile(self, f: Callable[..., Any],
+                single_version_only: bool = False) -> Callable[..., Any]:
         from .compile import LazilyJAXCompilingFunctionCaller
-        return LazilyJAXCompilingFunctionCaller(self, f)
+        return LazilyJAXCompilingFunctionCaller(self, f, single_version_only)
 
     def tag(self, tags: ToTagSetConvertible, array):
         def _tag(ary):
diff --git a/arraycontext/impl/pytato/compile.py b/arraycontext/impl/pytato/compile.py
index 952761bf..69d8bbe8 100644
--- a/arraycontext/impl/pytato/compile.py
+++ b/arraycontext/impl/pytato/compile.py
@@ -260,6 +260,7 @@ class BaseLazilyCompilingFunctionCaller:
 
     actx: _BasePytatoArrayContext
     f: Callable[..., Any]
+    single_version_only: bool
     program_cache: dict[Mapping[tuple[Hashable, ...], AbstractInputDescriptor],
                         "CompiledFunction"] = field(default_factory=lambda: {})
 
@@ -325,7 +326,10 @@ def __call__(self, *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
         try:
             compiled_f = self.program_cache[arg_id_to_descr]
         except KeyError:
-            pass
+            if self.single_version_only and self.program_cache:
+                raise ValueError(
+                    f"Function '{self.f.__name__}' to be compiled "
+                    "was already compiled previously with different arguments.")
         else:
             return compiled_f(arg_id_to_arg)