diff --git a/man2/msgget.2 b/man2/msgget.2
index 014fdda89..89523ddfb 100644
--- a/man2/msgget.2
+++ b/man2/msgget.2
@@ -50,6 +50,14 @@ system call returns the System\ V message queue identifier associated
 with the value of the
 .I key
 argument.
+It may be used either to obtain the identifier of a previously created
+message queue (when
+.I msgflg
+is zero and
+.I key
+does not have the value
+.BR IPC_PRIVATE ),
+or to create a new set.
 .PP
 A new message queue is created if
 .I key
diff --git a/man2/semget.2 b/man2/semget.2
index 2a869ff90..de8f2d8cd 100644
--- a/man2/semget.2
+++ b/man2/semget.2
@@ -52,6 +52,15 @@ The
 system call returns the System\ V semaphore set identifier
 associated with the argument
 .IR key .
+It may be used either to obtain the identifier of a previously created
+semaphore set (when
+.I semflg
+is zero and
+.I key
+does not have the value
+.BR IPC_PRIVATE ),
+or to create a new set.
+.PP
 A new set of
 .I nsems
 semaphores is created if
diff --git a/man2/shmget.2 b/man2/shmget.2
index 37f253674..1ee15436a 100644
--- a/man2/shmget.2
+++ b/man2/shmget.2
@@ -51,6 +51,14 @@ shmget \- allocates a System V shared memory segment
 returns the identifier of the System\ V shared memory segment
 associated with the value of the argument
 .IR key .
+It may be used either to obtain the identifier of a previously created
+shared memory segment (when
+.I shmflg
+is zero and
+.I key
+does not have the value
+.BR IPC_PRIVATE ),
+or to create a new set.
 .PP
 A new shared memory segment, with size equal to the value of
 .I size