The language is made richer and more flexible by there being several meanings to each of many prepositions, as well as by some of them having the same meaning as others.
CLASSES OF PREPOSITIONS.
312. It would be useless to attempt to classify all the prepositions, since they are so various in meaning.
The largest groups are those of place, time, and exclusion.
PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE.
313. The following are the most common to indicate place:—
(1) PLACE WHERE: abaft, about, above, across, amid (amidst), among (amongst), at, athwart, below, beneath, beside, between (betwixt), beyond, in, on, over, under (underneath), upon, round or around, without.
(2) PLACE WHITHER: into, unto, up, through, throughout, to, towards.
(3) PLACE WHENCE: down, from (away from, down from, from out, etc.), off, out of.
Abaft is exclusively a sea term, meaning back of.