Dear Sparkey, don't be embarrased to ask, it's a very sensible question.
All the above is true - be level at or before xxx if on own nav, be level abeam if on radar heading - you should hear the magic word 'abeam' in the clearance. One important point, if you can't achieve the specified level by that point, tell us asap. Any restriction to be level xxx by xxx has a reason behind it. It may be so that you can achieve another level further down the line, such as min stack and so might be a bit flexible. On the other hand it could be to ensure separation against other a/c and is definitely not flexible. We need to know.